ducks laying eggs

[ppimf]

i have about 10 ducks now, with 5 drakes, i started having eggs about a month ago about 3 a week. from 5 ducks in the flock. i added another 5 more ducks about 2 weeks ago and i haven't a eggs since, what am i doing wrong, now it is getting down to about 20 at night but they still seem very happy and both flocks are starting to group together. what can i do to get more eggs. i feed them a grain mix i made, 250 lbs whole milo, 125 lbs oats, 125 rolled corn, and 50 lbs layer pellets and had feed mill mix that ration for me. any help with twicking the mix would be great as well.

 

[Celie]

Where I am at in Louisiana, My ducks lay heavy in the Spring when the days start to lengthen, through summer, the rest of the year the will lay a few here and there. When we re-dig out pond, we always find a lot of eggs at the bottom. We also have to beat the blackbirds to the eggs or they break them all and eat them, along with a lot of other egg eating critters. If I do not collect the eggs right at sunrise, they are gone. Luckily, some of my ducks prefer to lay in low chicken nests, or walk up my front steps and lay their eggs on my welcome mat!

 

[ppimf]

i have 3 kiddy pools they are in and they are in a fenced in area about 100' by 120' they used to have the eggs layed in the coop by 7am when we let them out, but nothing for 2 wks

 

[Amiga]

ppimf,

and to the Duck Forum!

You may not be doing anything wrong. Right now, it's been about three days since our flock of runners and buffs laid an egg. And before that, it was a couple of days without. They have tapered off, and will probably start up again in a month or so. I am glad they are resting.

I do know that some ducks get stressed with introducktions, it changes the whole flock dynamic. And that can suppress egg laying.

Looking back at your feed, what is the protein percentage of the final product? Probably fine, I just don't recall the protein percentage on milo right now. Oats and corn don't have much protein. I might pop that up, with perhaps a sprinkling of dry cat kibble.

Also, are you giving oyster shell free choice? I do.

Would love to hear more about your flock.

Soon I need to turn it, but I plan to check back in the a.m.

Thanks for joining us!

 

[ppimf]

they play in the mud and gravle sand area we have for them in the pen, so i don't do oyster shell, Will that help with eggs? milo has 11% oats has 11% and corn has 7% then i used 16% layer crumbles do you use a light during the night?

 

[Amiga]

Thanks for the numbers!

Although I am tired, and that interferes with my ability to do arithmetic, looks like their feed is low in protein. It appears to be around ten or eleven percent, when it needs to be closer to 18% for laying.

And yes, they need calcium, for egg shells, for nervous system, bones and heart health.

Free choice oyster shell is recommended for mixed flocks. The drakes don't get too much, and the ducks eat the oyster shell for their calcium.

If you are wanting to reduce the amount of processed feed, perhaps you can raise some sources of protein for yourself, like earthworms, mealworms, soldier fly larvae, or small feeder fish. The fish would have a little calcium, too, in their bones.

 

[ppimf]

i have never found any thing at orschlyn that has more than 16%. and no grains have more than 13 other than wheat, (i think lol) and my ducks do get wheat in the mix but i just added that here before i feed. i will buy some shell and feed that in a seperate feeder then, they get alot of our veg, and fruits as well, i don't give them much about 1 a week. not sure what they have in proteins

 

[Amiga]

Recommended protein levels vary, from 16, 17 to 18%. What I find fascinating is that especially with ducks that can forage, a duck that finds a couple of huge worms is getting a bit more protein, and if they fill up their tummies with peas, they will be getting less that day.

So don't worry too too much. But I still feel the ducks would benefit from some more protein. Perhaps someone else can chime in here with some ideas from their own flock. I like the idea of raising worms. It's pretty easy once you get the knack. And it does not take much space.