Ducks lay eggs at what age?

[ThreeBoysChicks]

I had purchased a MagPie, a Khaki Campbell and a Cayuga, born 2/27/2008. They all started laying around the second week of July. They were around 4.5 months old. I have been getting 3 eggs until until mid-October. One of the three is still laying every day.

However, like greyfields said, they like to move them around. It is like an Easter Egg Hunt every day. My girls have about 5 different places, they like to lay and if I don't find them where they were yesterday, then check the other spots.

 

[greyfields]

I had a "gang of 4" sex offenders running around my farm last winter gang 'utilizing' the females. I will be keeping fewer drakes this year, as I was afraid they'd get me, too, if I stood still too long.

 

[cherub78]

We got our ducks toward the end of May, and the guy we got them from said he had gotten them around mother's day. I guessed (by their size) that they must have been a week old approx when he got them, so I figured they were born very beginning of May.

Then, we got two more ducks that we were told were born mid/end of May.

Well TODAY FINALLY GOT OUR FIRST EGG!!! WooHoo!!!!!

I have no clue who laid it. It was just there in the house after I let them out this morning.

I had been wondering if they had been laying while in their little pond and we didn't find any because of that. I have heard that happens if they are let out before 8 am (which ours are). I would have thought they would have started before now from all I had heard and read.

At least this is the first one I have actually found.

I woke my dh up this morning cause I was so darn excited (he wasn't quite as thrilled about being woken up on his day off, but he will get over it).

The way I figure it, it is a $1,000 egg (from our investment so far in the chickens and ducks), and it darn sure better taste like a really "grand" egg! Problem is, we are just so excited about it that no one wants to eat it. Maybe I should have it bronzed.

Sharon

 

[ametauss]

I have two Moscovy females, a Pekin female and a male Moscovy...

Pekin born in May, one Moscovy female born in June, the male and other female Moscovy look to be a year old....

The Peking loves to "sleep" in the kiddy pool and I don't have any eggs... I do search everywhere and I don't lock them up at night....

The barn always has a light on but the barn yard is dark....

Question is Why don't I have Eggs???

 

[cherub78]

Well, I would say to give it another week or two on the one born in May.

We are fairly sure that it is the Pekin (shown in my avatar) that has started laying, and if they were born abt the first of May, then yours (in theory) should start soon.

Our Rouen hen, as far as we know, hasn't started yet (b. at the same time).

As far as lighting, we have them in a house at night. We have a light on a timer (mainly for the chickens) that goes on at abt 4:30a and off abt 8:30p. The ducks only go into the house at 8:15p (so not much extra light in the evening), but they are in there until about 6:30-7am, so they are getting a bit of extra light in the morning (from 4:30 until then) since it doesn't start to get light out until about 7am. That is about a 2 1/2 hour we have the light increased each day.

We have had eggs every day now (3 days straight) and I am quite sure they are all from the same duck.

Not sure if this info helps but thought I would share my experience thus far. The way I figure it, they finally start to lay the minute you give up and aren't checking for eggs...lol.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have 4 ducks and 6 drakes, and wasn't planning on seperating them till spring. I haven't gotten any duck eggs yet, but all the ducks are newbies. The one that has been here the longest might have been here for 2 months. Anyway, I'm not sure how old any of them are, but I am fairly sure the pekins are plenty old enough. Should I seperate them now to make sure I get pure breed eggs? I was planning on waiting till March at least, since they are on the pond, and can keep each other warmer. But I don't want to mess up my chances of having pures either!

 

[Chicken7777]

I am thinking of getting some Pekin ducks(5-6 months of age) so that they can give me some future eggs, and ducklings....does anyone know when Pekin ducks start laying?
And is it true that they can lay an egg about a day or so like chickens?
and what about breeding can they breed year round, because I have heard of pekind ducks breeding even in winter...

 

[columbiacritter]

I have 3 khakis and 2 Cayugas, born ealry march, started laying in July and I am still getting at least 4 eggs a day. Even when they were molting and looked terrible they kept laying though the size of their eggs diminished for a few weeks. I upped their food giving them more proteine until they all refeathered and they just kept right on laying.

 

[mmizell]

Ducks living outside
I have some Rouen ducks that are fully feathered, when can the live outside? They will have shelter.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
They can go outside as soon as they are fully feathered. You may need to watch them and make sure they aren't getting cold, incase they don't acclimate to the cooler temps, unless they have just been inside with no light, then they should be good to go!