Domestic mallard egg laying

[clintwilson59]

Last summer i bought a pair of ducklings, in july i think. Do you think the hen will lay this spring? Will the drake be old enough to fertilize the eggs? What month do the start laying? I'm hoping i can get some babies from them this spring. Thanks for all the help.

-Clint

 

[Kevin565]

yes she will be able to lay this spring. The drake is old enough to fertilize her eggs. My mallard hen started laying around 5 1/2 months. Good luck on the babies

 

[dumb_cluck]

Depending on their environment... if they are indoors with light most of the day they may start as soon a 5-6 months. If they are kept outdoors, probably not until spring when it gets higher than 40 degrees.

My mallards started laying in January (I got them in June) and kept laying all summer and well into the winter. They are kept indoors at night and during the winter, inside with lights on all day.

 

[clintwilson59]

Thanks for the help. I live louisiana so the temp is 40 one day, 18 one day, and 70 the next. Do you think this will mess her up or prevent her from laying a while?

And I keep them outside.

 

[dumb_cluck]

Temperature and daylight will affect laying. Overcast days are not the best. Sunny daylight the best. Temps? I live in NY so I don't know your regional temperature ranges or how long they last.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Mallards are driven by day lenght not temperature. other wise the wild mallards would be trying to lay all winter in the south where the temp can vary greatly. If you are in the south try to keep an eye on wild ducks when they leave for the North your "stay at homes" should start within 3 weeks. Additional light can really mess up their reproduction cycle. I hope this was of some help.

 

[1duckychick]

I had gotten mine in mid-june and they were laying by early December. I remember one of them actually hid and tried sitting a next late Dec/early Jan, right in the middle of our first snowstorm that year. Took hours to find her all covered in a 1/2 inch of snow and shivering!

 

[clintwilson59]

i just made her a nest box so hopefully she will use those when it is time. they are 15*15tall and wide and 1' 5 long.