Ducks laying thin shelled eggs, in with chickens

[mamawk]

I have two ducks in with 10 chickens. The ducks lay on the ground, and their egg shells are really thin. The chicken eggs are fine, very normal, and are laid in the nesting box. This egg was on top of one of the roosts, so I don't think it was a duck, but it looks just like the eggs that are on the ground, only thinner shelled. I'm thinking vit d3 is called for but how to dose the ducks but not the hens and what product and dosage? Is anyone able to help me?

 

[Amiga]

We could start a support group, you and I

I am working with my little Romy Buff on just this issue. And with a flock, it's not always straightforward. Sometimes it is, though.

Before I write more

And welcome to the Duck Forum (c:
(Kevin565 has the cool HTML graphics)

While Vitamin D is definitely involved, so is calcium, and actually phosphorus plays a role, too. And so does - in my experience - the duck's laying cycle.

When my runners lay for more than a year at a time they seem to get depleted, then after some time off they come back strong.

Romy started laying soft shells last fall, we gave her extra calcium, after a while she quit laying. Then she started up last week - soft eggs again, some abdominal pain. yikes. I have lost two ducks for sure certain to egg yolk peritonitis, so I am skittery about egg laying issues.

Currently we are building Romy's calcium reserves back up using neocalglucan (prescription) 1.5 mL 2x a day, and adding calcium gluconate (OTC), 1 tsp per 4 oz water for overnight - except for today, last night I did not add the c.g. so I gave it to them this morning.

The wrinkle here is Bean, our first and only drake. He came along last fall, and I was feeding the flock half layer and half waterfowl non layer since none of the ducks were laying shortly after he arrived (coincidence?

).

Talked it over with the vet and the person from whom I adopted Bean, and we agreed that the clear and present danger to the majority of the flock and certainlly to Romy is insufficient calcium.

So for now, we are going with the calcium boosts.

It will take a while - a couple weeks, maybe longer - for Romy to build back up.

Do you offer free choice oyster shell? How long have the ducks been laying? What feed do you use?