Aussie Spots = Seasonal layers?

[fancyfowl4ever]

Hi, I received 2 pairs of Australian Spotted Ducks several weeks ago together with a pair of bibbed calls, and was wondering if I can hope for eggs out of any of these this year still or should I rather not get my hopes up and hang tight until next spring?

I remember reading that Aussies are very seasonal(spring/summer), and calls can be all year around layers with proper management, are either of those statements correct?

Thanks in advance,
Anna

PS: OMG are Aussie Spots ever cute or what!!!!!!!

The black bibbed Call drake is an absolute cutie pie too!!

 

[TK Poultry]

i always thought ducks were seasonal once they moulted for winter they were done that is why drakes with green heads their heads were always greener in spring in summer because of mating season! so i thought that the hens only laid in spring in summer like geese.

 

[rainplace]

a lot of domesticated ducks will lay most of the year.

I think that the bantams and calls are seasonal layers.

 

[CityChicker]

Mine have been mostly seasonal layers, but will lay sporadically in the Fall. They seem to stop in the dead of summer and in the middle of winter. Australian Spotteds are the only breed though that I have had that will sometimes lay a brood and hatch them the same spring/summer they themselves are hatched! They are very fast maturers.

 

[pirtykitty]

I read somewhere that the Austrailian spotted were the best layers of the bantam breeds.

 

[CityChicker]

I can believe that. Mine lay about the same as the Mini Appleyards, maybe slightly more. The Aussies mature earlier though, much earlier than any other breed I have had. They are mating when they are like 3 months old and laying fertile eggs by about 4 months.

 

[sianara]

Quote:
I'm expecting a pair of young adults (aussies that is) in October from Holderread's farm and am vibrating with excitement! How many eggs a week would you say they lay? And what time of year? I'm assuming they are like most duck breeds that take the winter off...

 

[CityChicker]

They will lay here and there during the winter very sporadically. Mine seem to start laying more regularly beginning about late March and into late June. They taper off again to just very sporadic laying from about July to late September. In the Fall from about September to early November, they sometimes will become fairly regular again about laying.

All total, in the Spring laying season, I would say my average female lays between 80-100 eggs. If they lay again in the Fall season, it is usually only 15-25 eggs. The eggs layed in the middle of Summer and Winter and more sporadic and usually only about 50% fertile (if that even).

I have never counted exactly the number of eggs per female though, but they are fairly prolific.

 

[sianara]

Thanks City,

80-100 eggs is good for my purposes. I'd like some duck eggs to eat but I'd also like more ducklings from the pair. From what I've read on a few threads here, my hen will already be laying or close to it when they get delivered here next month. (Now, I've just got to get my act together and build their new coop!

)

I've also got 3 different flocks of 28 chickens that keep me comfortably in eggs.

My older three ducks (6 years old) don't lay many eggs these days but for the first 4 years of their lives THEY were prolific and laid over 325 eggs per hen per year. I know because I kept an egg chart with all the layers totals for a few years.

I think I'll chart the aussie hens eggs for the first year out of curiosity.

 

[sianara]

Well, I've had my pair of little beauties for four weeks now and they are finally settling in. When they hear the 3 big ducks quack at me to let them OUT (in the next yard over) THEY start quacking too albeit "quietly" compared to those big girls

.

So far, no eggs. I asked Holderread's when I could expect the first eggs as I had understood (from a few other sources other than this thread) that they started young and I was told she may not lay until Spring. So, we'll see. Hopefully, she'll start before then now that they seem comfortable with their new surroundings.

Today, I found them squared off against the three big girls and they were all poking bills at each other through the fencing. It was comical

Guess I'll have to add another 12" of plastic hardware cloth to the fence so bills can't actually get through the 2"x3" holes!