Asking about Muscovy laying.

[cheyfrie26]

When do they start to lay in Ohio? One layed today. But when will the others? Also is their eggs just a bit larger than a chicken egg? If a black drake breeds with a chocolate hen, what color will the chicks be?

 

[srsmith69]

Five of my six muscovy hens started laying within a two week period. The sixth was a later hatch and took about a month longer to start. I'd say if they are the same age, once one has started laying, the rest will follow shortly. Its a day-length and age thing. Yes the eggs are a little bigger than a large chicken egg. Duck eggs, to me, feel waxy or polished where a chicken egg feels porous. Don't know on the color. But I've got a chocolate hen and a black drake. The hen just hatched 19 ducklings and they all seem to have the same down color pattern as my black hen. Think they are all going to be black/white..

 

[cheyfrie26]

Ok, thanks!

 

[ModernGameGrl]

When they lay I think depends a fair bit on age and lighting and possibly to an extent on the general weather. I'm in WI and a breeder I was talking to said her hens were getting ready to set so they must have been laying for a little while. My brother has a different breed of duck (black swedish) and they have been laying about a month now. I just got my pair and she hasn't laid yet.

I'm not an expert on color genetics in ducks but generally speaking black is dominant over chocolate. So if your drake carries chocolate you should get some chocolate chick if not they will all look black but carry the gene for chocolate so say you take a drake that hatches from your chocolate hen and breed him to his mother or any chocolate hen for that matter and you will get some chocolate ducklings.

 

[cheyfrie26]

Thanks for the post. I see what your talking about. But I have a pair of blacks, a drake and 4 chocolate hens, and a lavender hen.