Duck eggs

[NYRIR]

My duck eggs seem much harder to crack open than my chicken eggs...is this normal? Or should I lower the oyster shell content? I mix it in (per the reccomendation on the bag)with the pellets and feed Dumor which has a higher content of calcium than the Layena.(those are the two brands most readily available) My ducks are very picky eaters and usually will only eat either tomatoes,peas,strawberries, lettuce or grass clippings (dandelion greens,clovers,etc.).

 

[Amiga]

Your duck eggs are normal. Keep up the good work! They are supposed to have thicker shells than chickens - not enough calcium is risky for their health.

 

[NYRIR]

Thank you

I sometimes have to give a right good whack! to open them.Is it bad for my drakes to have the oyster shell?

 

[Denninmi]

Quote:
Yes, duck eggs are much harder to crack than hen's eggs. Just the way Mother Nature made them -- it protects the contents.

No, it's not bad for the drakes. All birds need calcium in their diet AND grit to help grind food in their crops. The birds will only eat as much as they need. The hens will eat more than the drakes because their bodies have a high calcium demand for production of egg shells.

 

[missy5]

I've heard about grit before ,what is it and where or how do you get it?

 

[DuckDuckDuckGoose]

Quote:
Missy-Grit is just sand. Give them about a tsp. in their dish and they will eat it. when they are out grazing and mudsucking for slugs they naturally eat the grit. but if they are under controlled feeding you do have to give it to them. It helps to digest thier food in the crops.
Hope this helps,
T.

 

[missy5]

Yes any info helps, thanks. You would think that everything would be included in thier feed. But i guess thats like saying if you go buy a steak your potatoes and vegies should come with it,lol. Thanks again.

 

[NYRIR]

I forgot to mention I add the grit to the pellets as well...plus they get grit from the ground of the run.The run is 18x25 and has a LOT of dirt...98% dirt now

 

[Denninmi]

Quote:
Sand is one form of grit. Small rocks and stones are also grit. Oyster shell is grit in a sense, it is hard and helps grind the food, but it gets eventually dissolved and passes through/out of the digestive tract (I guess that's how it works).

My feed store and Tractor Supply sell ground up pink granite for non-calcium poultry grit.

Now, while I personally can't imagine eating a bowl of rocks, my birds seem to really go for it.

Anyone remember the Saturday Night Live commercial parody for "Quarry" cereal from the late 1970's with Bill Murray and Jane Curtain -- she pours a bowl of rocks out, they all put milk on it and start crunching away. The tag line was something like "Quarry, it's not grown, it's mined".

 

[animalpro24]

Yeah that is normal our eggs are the same, though it kind of scared me the first time I tried to crack one.