Ducks not laying!

[Lover duck duck]

i wish i had experience with ducks in florida

All i know is here chickens and ducks laying is affected by weather and also daylight hours. Shorter days mean less eggs, My ducks wont lay till the days get longer and the weather gets warmer


But in the morning iam sure someone with florida experience will be on! @DuckyDonna has lived in florida

Thank you.

 

[Jpat]

Thank you.

No problem, wish i had better advice

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Ducks will slow down with the egg production during winter, unless you provide artificial light, which i personally do not recommend. What ducks do during their first winter really does not count as the birds bodies are usually still inexperienced in the egg business. Some of my young ducks had stopped laying and some just continued to lay an egg every day.
You can give them some additional protein in the form of mealworms (expensive) or dry cat-food to trigger the egg production.
It is my belief that during the winter the birds find less protein (insects) on their foraging grounds and that, together with shorter phases of daylight prevents them from making eggs.
Think about what an egg is: A nice package of pure protein. That protein has to come from somewhere.

 

[Lover duck duck]

Ducks will slow down with the egg production during winter, unless you provide artificial light, which i personally do not recommend. What ducks do during their first winter really does not count as the birds bodies are usually still inexperienced in the egg business. Some of my young ducks had stopped laying and some just continued to lay an egg every day.
You can give them some additional protein in the form of mealworms (expensive) or dry cat-food to trigger the egg production.
It is my belief that during the winter the birds find less protein (insects) on their foraging grounds and that, together with shorter phases of daylight prevents them from making eggs.
Think about what an egg is: A nice package of pure protein. That protein has to come from somewhere.

Thank you. I forgot that shorter days causes them to lay less, I did read that in the metzer farms website. Thanks again.

 

[Lover duck duck]

No problem, wish i had better advice

It’s okay thank you so much. I realize now it could be the shorter days with sunlight.

 

[chickens really]

The first season Hens lay eggs and constantly. All birds take a break from laying. They will begin again in the spring.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The first season Hens lay eggs and constantly. All birds take a break from laying. They will begin again in the spring.

Put it that way: First season hens lay unpredictable. Some of my ducks started in November and stopped after a couple of eggs, some have laid through the whole winter last year.
And (imho!) it is important that we let them have their break. Laying eggs is really hard on their little bodies and taking a break will make sure they live a little longer. We are no members of the »egg industry« are we?

 

[Lover duck duck]

Put it that way: First season hens lay unpredictable. Some of my ducks started in November and stopped after a couple of eggs, some have laid through the whole winter last year.
And (imho!) it is important that we let them have their break. Laying eggs is really hard on their little bodies and taking a break will make sure they live a little longer. We are no members of the »egg industry« are we?

I just thought there was something wrong since some people say if they are not laying you have to make sure they are not egg bound. Thank you for your comment.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I just thought there was something wrong since some people say if they are not laying you have to make sure they are not egg bound. Thank you for your comment.

Trust me: If one of your ducks has a problem to get rid of an egg you will notice that very quickly! One of my F&W Runners, Katharina Duck has recently started to lay stopping in August when she had her babies. Last week i noticed a very sudden change in her personality, she is usually very cheeky and that morning she just walked out of the house, no quack, did not even looked at me and did not ate any catfood-treats. Around noon i saw her resting under a shrub, apart from the rest of the flock and when i approached her, she just stood up, looked at me and just sat down again in the same spot. Resting most of the afternoon, just a few trips to the water and in the evening she walked back into the house like a toddler with an overflowing diaper.
Next morning there was that 100 gram (4oz) egg in one of the nests and Katharina was back to cheeky and quacky again. (whew!)
If your duck behaves normal, eats, drinks and poops, she definitely not egg-bound.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just a bit of info. It's another good item to have when we have layers TSC carries it too Calcium Gluconate. It is what vets give by injection to get an egg moving we use it orally and it works great. @DuckyDonna has much experience with this.