Ducks stopped laying, less than a year old.

[RCAKB]

I have 6 month old ducks and they have stopped laying. I had a Blue Swedish lay almost everyday for about 10 days and then I introduced 4 female mallards and she stopped laying. It has been a month and still no eggs. My female Pekin never started to lay (in the coop at least) and the mallards do not lay eggs either. They are a year old. I have put fake eggs in their coop to see if that helps and it has not. They cover it up as if it is a real egg but they are still not laying in there. It is possible that they are laying close to our big pond but it would not be easy for me to find that because of the size (it is about 1/2 acre), cattail and other misc plants surrounding it. Right now my ducks are just decoration and entertainment. Ha!

I will note that the new female mallards are not friendly towards the other ducks.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're thrilled that you've decided to join us Ducks are extremely creative at hiding eggs, but they will also quit for other reasons, I'm going to hang around and see what others think of the issue.

 

[RCAKB]

Thanks!! I tell ya, if they don't help out in some way it is going to be a bit harder to convince my husband that they are good to have on the farm. If they can't do eggs then maybe they can be bug control in the garden.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Welcome from NW Mississippi!!...
Some duck breeds are seasonal layers and will taper off in the fall months and begin back in the Spring. Also, ducks will mostly lay their eggs between 5-8am depending on the sun and clock syncing...this is the norm and not the rule, many will lay while swimming if they are released from the coop too early and then it becomes an egg hunt. If you have livestock, other than poultry, the ducks are terrific at bug, slug, and pest control. Slugs and snails are hosts for liverflukes that can affect any grazing livestock...goats, sheep, cattle, just to name a few....and these flukes are very deadly towards those animals. They also will eat ticks, caterpillars, and grasshoppers that are particularly damaging to crops and other animals, even humans. So, the eggs are really, really good but certainly not the only benefit of owning ducks. I know that mallards are seasonal birds, but not sure about tbe Swedes or Pekin. We have Khaki Campbells and Rouens and they are not seasonal, but the Rouens slack off at this time of year, bjt the KC keep on laying and are very prolific layers. Hopefully, your girls will start again in the Spring for ya and if ya will keep them in the coop until 8:30-9am the eggs will be much easier to find. Ducks are comical to watch, also....

 

[RCAKB]

Thanks!!! We typically let them out between 8:00-9:00 am in hopes that they will lay their eggs in the coop. We have not had any luck since after getting the new ducks. Once I get my garden going next year I hope to encourage them to eat the bugs in the garden. There is a saying that says that "You don't have a slug problem, you have a duck deficiency." Ha ha! I do believe that! I don't see a lot around here unless I am next to the pond but that doesn't mean I do not have them, we will find out next year! I see a lot of squash bugs around here, I hope they love those as much as their crickets, they will chase those down! I love my little ducks, they are very enjoyable to watch.

 

[lomine]

You’ve got a few different things I think are effecting laying. First, as was already said, Mallards are seasonal layers. They are done for the year but should start up in The spring. The Blue Swedish probably stopped laying due to the stress of the introduction of new birds. She may start again soon but she may not. The Pekin might start laying but chances are she won’t until the days start to get longer again. It’s kind of a hard time of year because they are old enough to start laying but there aren’t enough hours of sunlight so you can’t really predict when they’ll start.

My ducks are on a break but when they do lay it’s actually later than 9 am. I kept them cooped until 10 to make sure I didn’t have to go on egg hunts.