Egg Frustration

[Pela Phillips]

Are some breeds seasonal and others lay all season? Mine were laying in some pretty frigid weather at the beginning of the year but those were all Cayugas. Are my new buffs more seasonal?

 

[Raenh]

Mine haven't laid a single egg since Fancy died... all three just up and tied their tubes after that. Course speedy was sitting on that one egg for a month and some days... but the twins, just stopped.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Runner and Buffs hatched in April 2016 and laid like gang busters for a straight 18months right through winter. But usually once days begin to shorten egg laying will slow and even stop in some . Probably depends on age and breed. Now that my ducks are 2.5 yrs old it will be interesting to see if they continue to lay over winter this year. I have a few chicken hens that lay off an on over winter too. So far haven't had to buy eggs from the store in many years.

 

[PirateGirl]

My ducks have slowed down notably in terms of laying too due to the change in seasons and shortening days... I was getting 3 eggs from 3 hens virtually every day since they started up in spring (far more consistent than any of my chickens ever seem to be), but now I'm only getting 1 or 2 eggs most days from them and a 3 egg day from the 3 hens has become rare once again. Fortunately the spring ducklings are starting up laying for the first time so hopefully their production picks up some while the other girls slow down. I was just chatting with my husbands about us starting to hoard eggs for winter and I can't be trading so many away to friends who help me out

 

[Pela Phillips]

A lot of my confusion comes from the fact that even the first morning with my two new girls I was getting one egg and now zero. I assume my Cayuga will pick up laying when she is re-feathered. Is it possible that the other(new) two buffs are beginning a molt? I have noticed more feathers laying about. Do ducks molt at different times. This is my 1 year old Cayuga’s first molt

 

[Miss Lydia]

Those eggs could have already been in the pipe so to speak yes I hardly notice my Runners in molt they must molt in spurts. My one Buff just finished molting you could def tell she was in molt my other Buff didn’t even look like she was in molt When my Muscovy’s molt they molt big 1x a year in fall and they lose a lot of feathers So your Buffs could def be starting molt. I got just 1 Buff egg today.

 

[PirateGirl]

When I've seen my ducks in molt it's like they shake off after swimming and the feathers fly, but they never really seem to have big bald patches or anything. My drake lost his curl, which was the most obvious thing about it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yep my one Buff was about the worst duck molt I have seen she lost a lot of feathers but my chickens take the prize some of them get almost naked.