Can ducks burn themselves out - lay TOO much?

[m.kitchengirl]

Somehow I got 16 eggs from 3 ducks between Monday & Friday last week.
Saturday - 7 eggs from 3 girls. They have been laying more eggs than I have ducks for weeks now.
I have one Buff & two Anconas.

I am so amazed, but also wonder - is this good for them? I mean, I can only imagine if I laid three eggs in a day... I am not sure how long I could keep that up.

I am pretty sure the 3 egg a day gal is the Buff, who is over a year old. The Anconas are in their first season of laying, so I sort of expected them to be weird about laying at first. Just in the other direction - fewer eggs.
I ordered three more ducklings for eggs this year (before the gals started in) and now I am a bit overwhelmed trying to imagine what I will do with MORE eggs.

I am selling some at work for use in the restaurant & some to friends at work. I sold 60 last week, plus canned 32 pickled duck eggs, and I have another 42 in the fridge still! Oh, and cooking with them & I gave my band mates each a dozen chicken & half dozen duck at rehearsal last week.

Did I just not know what to expect, or are they just champs?

 

[jak2002003]

You must be looking after them really well to get all those eggs.

My ducks lay one egg each without fail, each day. The only time them stop is them they are moulting. Sometimes I forget or miss some eggs as they are good and hiding them. Then I will find a huge pile hidden in some reeds. I have 5 females at the moment and actually have to throw many eggs away as I can't eat them all.

I give many to neighbours, the village shop, and some to my dog.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

They do only have a set number of eggs to lay in a lifetime, so yes they will stop laying younger if they keep up this pace of laying.

 

[bexnd]

i think it depends on how their being made to lay. they will eventually get to old to lay and as CelticOaksFarm says i think they do only lay a certain number in a lie time altho this is not a set number obviously.
i used to work on a farm where the ducks where kept to lay every every day of the year, but these where breeders altho still producing eggs after a year they where no longer used as breeders as their egg productivity would fall and fertility would also decrese.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

Huh.
I am not making them lay at all. Actually, I wish they would slow down! I can't keep up! I do all the usual stuff - feed, water with some ACV, peas, let them have time out of the yard when I am out there. Pools... nothing special. But I didn't light them or heat them this winter & have no intentions of doing so.

Maybe it is all the band rehearsals on the front porch lately - the music makes them happy?

 

[Tahai]

I don't know if you're aware, but you can freeze eggs (blend them, then pour them in ice cube trays to freeze. Store in zip loc bags. 3T - 1 large egg for recipe purposes.) This way, you can use your extra eggs this winter, when laying slows or stops.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

Good to know, Tahai! I'll have to invest in some extra ice cube trays. These gals are nuts right now!

 

[bexnd]

Huh.
I am not making them lay at all. Actually, I wish they would slow down! I can't keep up! I do all the usual stuff - feed, water with some ACV, peas, let them have time out of the yard when I am out there. Pools... nothing special. But I didn't light them or heat them this winter & have no intentions of doing so.

Maybe it is all the band rehearsals on the front porch lately - the music makes them happy?

LOL i wasnt suggesting you would light them over winter was just answering the thread question you asked .
what is it your feeding them are they on layers pellets if so try cutting it down and giving them mixed corn too

 

[m.kitchengirl]

I was just laughing because another friend said, "What are you doing? You must be doing SOMETHING!" (her chickens & ducks are not great layers) and I am not doing anything really - just what you do.
I will try to blend some things into the layer feed. This is just ... a lot more eggs than I expected from 3 ducks.

I suppose, on the list of things to worry about, this should be lower. But, I don't want to tax the ladies when I just wanted eggs for us & a few to give away here & there.

 

[bexnd]

their obviously happy enough and not stressing