Daily Duck Egg Report

[AmandaVirus]

I got 3/3 duck eggs this morning, one's 118 grams. You would think I have a goose!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I got 3/3 duck eggs this morning, one's 118 grams. You would think I have a goose!

Congrats!!! Maybe there is one hiding out and you just haven't seen it yet.z

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Only 2 today. I guess I want to frown, but my Ladies do need their break.

 

[Kleonaptra]

No duck eggs today, and one chicken egg. Shiela has stolen Sheena's nest so Sheena will have hidden hers again.

Got 9 duck eggs in the bator, had to chuck the others, nothing shaking. One of my girls - I think its Ephinny - lays long oval shaped eggs, and at candling these eggs have no air sac at all. Anyone seen that before?

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

No, haven't seen those here. Do you think she is taking an excessively long time to lay? The strange one I had was sort of oval shaped, not long tho...

 

[Kleonaptra]

Its hard to tell, they all lay in the one nest and its only my 'feeling' as to whose eggs belong to who. The nicely shaped smaller ones with a pink tinge I believe are Varia's, the big white ones I think are Syannes (pure pekin) and the long ones I believe to be Ephinny's. Really, they could be anyones, or all three could be coming from the same duck on different days! When Syanne sat she sat on everyones, sometimes had 30 under her...When varia sat she kept a very neat nest of only about 9 eggs, gaurding it well and cleaning it often and it was always the neat smaller pink eggs, thats why Im pretty sure she is laying the nice ones.

I doubt very much if Ephinny will ever give viable eggs, last January Varia had a beautiful clutch, at 2 weeks I saw softly beating hearts in 5 eggs, but by the next week they were rotten. I dont know what happened and she hasnt sat since then. It was their first year so I thought maybe experience got in the way. Its why I bought the bator, to rule out mothering mistakes. So far nothings been growing and I forgot my drake is seasonal so he might not start fertilizing until he's good and ready. I hope its soon. He loves Varia so much, goes everywhere with her. Since I changed their food he looks great, not overweight and manages his little twisted foot so much better.

I told Varia, if you would have his babies you have no idea how spoiled you would be! Satin cushions to sit on and hand fed fat crickets, just give me some babies!

 

[sgsnoco]

Well, we now get 2 eggs a day reliably out of 3 khakis and 1 cayuga. sometimes one of the eggs is a double-yolk. twice, about four weeks apart, we've had a paperthin-shelled egg, perfectly formed as an egg, but a shell of leathery thinness. we didn't eat either of those.

i thought it was a bad-pass from one of the khakis and that between the 3 of them they aren't laying daily, but maybe it was the cayuga's early efforts given that they were a month apart? i don't know.

they just make nests in the grass of their run as we move it around the yard, except most of the double yolks and those two paper thin eggs. those get laid in the mud by the water. since they are in a run in a secure area, i don't worry about where the eggs are, the ducks themselves never bother any of their own eggs when frightened, not even the paper-thin ones, always jump over/around any eggs in the run.

i don't know how to narrow down who's laying though, so we can pick out a Christmas dinner candidate if need be.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Well, we now get 2 eggs a day reliably out of 3 khakis and 1 cayuga.  sometimes one of the eggs is a double-yolk.  twice, about four weeks apart, we've had a paperthin-shelled egg, perfectly formed as an egg, but a shell of leathery thinness.  we didn't eat either of those.

i thought it was a bad-pass from one of the khakis and that between the 3 of them they aren't laying daily, but maybe it was the cayuga's early efforts given that they were a month apart?  i don't know.  

they just make nests in the grass of their run as we move it around the yard, except most of the double yolks and those two paper thin eggs.  those get laid in the mud by the water.  since they are in a run in a secure area, i don't worry about where the eggs are, the ducks themselves never bother any of their own eggs when frightened, not even the paper-thin ones, always jump over/around any eggs in the run. 

i don't know how to narrow down who's laying though, so we can pick out a Christmas dinner candidate if need be.  

Sounds nasty, but it works, and I've done it. Get urself some liquid food coloring from the cake decorating aisle at the grocery. Pick up your duck like a football, under your armpit, with her head facing rear. Carefully rotate her around, give her vent a few drops of that food color. That will stain her egg (if she lays one) and it will last for a few days. Use a diff color for each duck and that's how you'll know. They will walk around with colorful vents for a few days, tho, just to warn you. But it is safe and it has worked here.

Here in MI, it is getting dark *very* early and I'm down to just one egg every 2 days. And usually the dog steals it before I find it. Lucky her right? LOL

 

[sgsnoco]

that was a great tip we'll keep in mind for the future. the third khaki started laying real eggs finally though. still waiting on that old cayuga, who will be xmas dinner if there's no eggs by december (we should get at least one or two by then even with the weather from that duck if it is indeed a girl, we never got around to sexing, just figured we'd wait for eggs or xmas dinnertime, depending).

 

[Kleonaptra]

Im getting about 3 duck eggs a day regular, but Im finally deciding that I dont think these ducks can breed. I had 2 in the bator that looked good but had to chuck em at 2 weeks as there were no blood vessels. Ephinny sat for the first time the other day - for a whole 5 mins! Im finally on holidays and Im going to hit the bird auctions hard on Saturday and I am not coming home without a few little girls that will cross with my drake. I need calls, call crosses or small mallards. Last time I was there I saw some cross pacific blacks which most breeders will not want - it means a wild drake has got into their pure calls or mallards, but thats EXACTLY what Im after! If its already got pacific black in it, then it crosses with my boy.

I may also be getting a rooster...My darling Shiela is SO very broody she wants a man in the worst way...Im scared to get a rooster because the girl chickens beat up my drake, whats a rooster going to do to him? But I promised Shiela Id look.