Duck and egg advice

[Srt4te]

Hey all,I had a few questions that I needed help with.I got 2 pekin hatchlings both females back in april.I was hoping that I would have eggs within 6 months or so (around October) but no such luck.I went to put the ducks in their house this evening and found 4 monster sized eggs.I was surprised to find the eggs in there considering the cold and amount of daylight,I assumed I would have to wait until spring to receive any.So my first couple questions for those of you with daily and productive layers. Will they lay more than once a day,I expected one egg from each duck each day? Do you think they will lay consistently in the winter or more spotty?
Now part 2 of my questioning.One of my ducks was attacked by a raccoon back in september.Poor Rita was really beat up,we had 3 vet visits and now she is very healthy and adapted great to only having half a beak.Now my biggest and most important question which might also seem stupid,are there any diseases or illnesses my duck might have from the attack that can transfer to the eggs or be unsafe for us? I know ducks cannot get rabies but I was just wondering if there is anything I should be concerned about before eating them.I tried to find info on this but couldnt locate any.I really wanna eat these **** eggs,hahaha.Thanks for any help in advance it will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Amiga]

Welcome!

Mercy, glad to hear she has recovered, sad that she has such a serious reminder of her encounter.

Wish I were an expert on this and could give you an iron-clad guarantee. If there are health issues, ducks often hide them. Fecal and blood tests can be done. Most of us just go with the philosophy of: Healthy ducks lay healthy eggs, generally speaking.

Laying ducks need plenty of calcium, so layer pellets and free choice oyster shell are what I offer. Vitamin D and an all-around healthy diet are important, too.

During their first two years, my runners laid through the winter or most of the winter. This year, their third, they are taking quite a bit of time off from laying. And that's fine with me. I want to have them for the long haul, and I know from experience that if they don't take time to rest (they went 14 to 16 months the first laying season), they get run down.

I do like to keep them at 40F or more, as I learned - from experience - that temperature affects their laying, moreso than hours of light.

Ducks lay about every 24 to 26 hours (cannot remember where I read that), so doubles are mostly the result of egg hiding, which some are very good at. First-timers can do some interesting things, though. Double yolks, missing shells, missing yolks, pullet eggs (tiny ones), can all show up.

 

[Srt4te]

Thanks Amiga,for both the response and well wishing.Yea its a shame the top half of her bill is gone and her tongue is always sticking out but shes a tough girl.I have been giving them dumont layer pellets since about september.I also alternate their feed with corn.Should I give them oyster shell if theyre not having trouble laying? Rita seems pretty healthy overall and she was on antibiotics for around 3 weeks after her attack,at first a water mix and then injection.Im sure if there was an illness it was probably taken care of.Also if there were any lingering issues i think once you cook the egg it would be ok right? Do you or anyone else for that matter know anyone else that has a duck that was attacked and lays productively? I would just like some insight and info from a similar story.

 

[Amiga]

I cannot recall anyone now, but I think there are some recovered ducks laying.

I would offer the oyster shell for a couple of reasons. One is to let them get extra calcium if they want it. My experience has been that each duck is different, and some need more calcium intake than others. They just seem to be less efficient with it. The other reason is that the corn doesn't have calcium in it, so it lowers the percentage of calcium they get in their diet as a whole. In fact, it lowers their nutrient level average, so I would give poultry vitamins/electrolytes/probiotics to boost that back up.

 

[Srt4te]

ok thanks for the oyster shell info.I was going to start giving it to them at the same time that i started the layer pellets but i figured why bother if theyre not laying yet.I mainly give them the corn to keep them warm and just a break up from their normal feed.Also i try to keep ahead with the forecast and put it out if its supposed to rain,theyre a little picky with their food and dont like the pellets or feed if its soggy.Do you think it would be more helpful to start another thread about the raccoon attack and eggs? I usually dont post to much and normally just browse around and read.

 

[Amiga]

Storey's Guide recommends starting them with free choice oyster shell a month before they start laying (I know, they don't tell us when that will be).

And do post some more threads on what's going on with your ducks. We learn from each other and like to share.

 

[Srt4te]

ok awesome,thanks again.