Duck stop laying/laying in water?

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

Hello

We have some Fawn Runners and coyga ducks. (April 15th they were 2 days old)

last weekend on saturday i notice the males were starting to mate the female and I figured we would have eggs soon.

On Sunday we found 1 egg on ground near the pond.

we have not found any eggs since, and i have noticed that most nights the ducks/geese are on the water most of the night ( there were 2 older geese here and they all became one big flock after ours grew up, the older geese have showed ours the ropes on how to live free out here. we do not lock them up at night, mostly because the older geese made them fear us and they will not eat out of our hand anymore or follow us like they use to.)

they go back and forth from our pond to the neighbors pond. but they sleep on our side.

since last Sunday i have not found one egg, I have search extensively around the pond and such and come up empty. so did they just stop laying for the winter? or are they laying eggs in the water possibly?


do i need to try and pen them up to get eggs or have the y just stop laying for the winter?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hello

We have some Fawn Runners and coyga ducks. (April 15th they were 2 days old)

last weekend on saturday i notice the males were starting to mate the female and I figured we would have eggs soon.

On Sunday we found 1 egg on ground near the pond.

we have not found any eggs since, and i have noticed that most nights the ducks/geese are on the water most of the night ( there were 2 older geese here and they all became one big flock after ours grew up, the older geese have showed ours the ropes on how to live free out here. we do not lock them up at night, mostly because the older geese made them fear us and they will not eat out of our hand anymore or follow us like they use to.)

they go back and forth from our pond to the neighbors pond. but they sleep on our side.

since last Sunday i have not found one egg, I have search extensively around the pond and such and come up empty. so did they just stop laying for the winter? or are they laying eggs in the water possibly?


do i need to try and pen them up to get eggs or have the y just stop laying for the winter?

I'm not that familiar with Runners laying habits other than I have read they are pretty good about laying even over winter, but it may also depend on where you live temp wise. If they aren't locked up at night and most ducks lay before daylight or round that time, then they are either laying in the water or a predator is getting the eggs. If you want eggs then you might want to lock them up at night an let them out around 7-8 in the morning. it might give you eggs and also save their lives. At 5 months they are just beginning to come into lay.

 

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

I'm not that familiar with Runners laying habits other than I have read they are pretty good about laying even over winter, but it may also depend on where you live temp wise. If they aren't locked up at night and most ducks lay before daylight or round that time, then they are either laying in the water or a predator is getting the eggs. If you want eggs then you might want to lock them up at night an let them out around 7-8 in the morning. it might give you eggs and also save their lives. At 5 months they are just beginning to come into lay.

thanks for the reply,

we are working on a solution to lock them up, we had them in the barn with the chickens but racoons can access the barn so they are safer out of there, and trying to heard them into the chicken coop would be impossible........

we are near st louis, MO so it is not cold yet.

 

[Nyssa03]

I have runners and probably your best plan would be to find a way to put them up at night. They usually learn to herd into their house fairly easily. - you may want to give them a treat in their house -just be sure they have water if you leave out feed. Mine layed eggs most of the winter last year (after they finished their molt in the fall). I don't let them out until 8 or 9 in the morning - otherwise I have eggs all over the yard LOL

 

[Nyssa03]

I have runners and probably your best plan would be to find a way to put them up at night. They usually learn to herd into their house fairly easily. - you may want to give them a treat in their house -just be sure they have water if you leave out feed. Mine layed eggs most of the winter last year (after they finished their molt in the fall). I don't let them out until 8 or 9 in the morning - otherwise I have eggs all over the yard LOL

I'm not sure how this appeared twice --- ??? I don't know how to delete the copy

 

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

I have runners and probably your best plan would be to find a way to put them up at night. They usually learn to herd into their house fairly easily. - you may want to give them a treat in their house -just be sure they have water if you leave out feed. Mine layed eggs most of the winter last year (after they finished their molt in the fall). I don't let them out until 8 or 9 in the morning - otherwise I have eggs all over the yard LOL

I'm not sure how this appeared twice --- ??? I don't know how to delete the copy

thanks

I will try and accelerate a place for them, the barn was same until I seen raccoon in there.

 

[Miss Lydia]

thanks

I will try and accelerate a place for them, the barn was same until I seen raccoon in there.

Did the raccoon get your chickens? I hope not.

 

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

Did the raccoon get your chickens? I hope not.

yeah he got them in the middle of the day, so i set up a security camera and next time i seen him I shot him dead............. that's 2 i have shot thus far

 

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

i penned up the duck last night no eggs, I think they where too upset, so it may take a while we are looking at gettinga shed to make a secure place for them and so we can get eggs

 

[Miss Lydia]

i penned up the duck last night no eggs, I think they where too upset, so it may take a while we are looking at gettinga shed to make a secure place for them and so we can get eggs

Good for you, be patient once they settle down hopefully the eggs will come.

another thing your Runners are young just turning 5 months so just coming into lay. So egg laying maybe hit or miss till they get the kinks worked out.. I have found with my Muscovy's once they get use to laying in their house they usually go into it to lay or lay before I let them out in the morning. They like a routine so get a good routine going. The younger learning from the older ones.