Afternoon softies, calcium & campbells

[ChicagoDucks]

My Khaki Campbell, Ringo, just started laying at about 21 weeks of age. We give her and the rest of the flock duck & goose grower (commercial feed) mixed with about 10% cat kibble, free choice oyster shell and they forage in our yard. Ringo sometimes lays an afternoon softshell egg in the yard after she's laid a good-shelled egg in the morning. This has happened about four times in the last two weeks. After laying a softie, she usually takes a day off from laying.

Is this normal when KCs start laying?
Do I need to add more calcium to their diet? Like layer feed?
Does this phase pass on its own after a while?

 

[Amiga]

Based on my experience with runners and buffs, you can get soft shelled eggs at first, and I would add more calcium to the diet. With drakes in the flock, this could be tricky, as extra calcium strains the kidneys of non-laying ducks.

The early soft eggs phase passed, but then I started seeing that ducks that had been laying for a year or more started producing more soft shelled eggs and getting run down. In most cases that has resolved itself, with the ducks taking a break from laying for a couple of months, and then starting up again strong.

What concerns me is a duck that keeps laying soft eggs. Low calcium affects every system in a duck's body, including the cardiovascular system. But we have all girls, so I just get calcium into them any way I can, and the duck of most concern is taking neocalglucan (1.5 cc in a tablespoon of crushed green peas).

 

[ChicagoDucks]

Based on my experience with runners and buffs, you can get soft shelled eggs at first, and I would add more calcium to the diet. With drakes in the flock, this could be tricky, as extra calcium strains the kidneys of non-laying ducks.

The early soft eggs phase passed, but then I started seeing that ducks that had been laying for a year or more started producing more soft shelled eggs and getting run down. In most cases that has resolved itself, with the ducks taking a break from laying for a couple of months, and then starting up again strong.

What concerns me is a duck that keeps laying soft eggs. Low calcium affects every system in a duck's body, including the cardiovascular system. But we have all girls, so I just get calcium into them any way I can, and the duck of most concern is taking neocalglucan (1.5 cc in a tablespoon of crushed green peas).

Amiga, you are a godsend to this forum. Thanks for the reply. I really like the idea of putting a calcium supplement in crushed peas for one duck! I have some liquid calcium supplement that I picked up at the local pet store (it is marketed as a reptile supplement) that I can mix with cruched peas and feed to Ringo seperately. I'll give it a try and see if it helps with the softies.

 

[Kevin565]

Amiga, you are a godsend to this forum. Thanks for the reply. I really like the idea of putting a calcium supplement in crushed peas for one duck! I have some liquid calcium supplement that I picked up at the local pet store (it is marketed as a reptile supplement) that I can mix with cruched peas and feed to Ringo seperately. I'll give it a try and see if it helps with the softies.

. I hope your ducks get to feeling better ChicagoDucks!