eggs in the middle of winter?

[sayyadina]

All of a sudden, I've been finding single eggs in my duck/goose house. 2 were found in separate corners while 1 was found outside in the snow! Not sure who the "guilty" party is, since I have 5 female runners, 3 female harlequins, 1 female Toulouse and 1 female African. The eggs are about 3.5" long. The ducks and geese all around 10 months old. Is this normal? Are these duck or goose eggs? What do I do with them? Do they need different food now? They've been getting Blue Seal Grower Cal. Is there a way to get them to stop?

 

[jerryse]

It is not unusual to get eggs this early.Ducks and geese need less daylight hours than chickens to start laying.I have 3 eggs this week blizzard and all. Some from pekin 1 from rouen today nothing from the geese yet. Jerry

 

[sheila3935]

my khaki campbell didnt start laying til winter. Now she lays everyday. Finding eggs is another matter. She doesnt lay in the same place everyday so we have to hunt for them.

 

[Denninmi]

They respond to the increasing day length. I found my first duck egg for 2011 on 01/18 or 01/19. Now, all three of my Rouen hens have begun laying. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

It was about 5 degrees here this morning, is going to be perhaps as cold as -5 tomorrow morning. The cold doesn't seem to affect them as long as they have adequate food. Sometimes when it's that cold, the eggs freeze and crack before I can gather them -- I just wash them carefully then immediately shell them and either use right away or freeze for future cooking and baking.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Birds will often start to lay in the middle of and towards the end of winter-and yes it does have to do with the increase in day length. While it may still be below frezzing there at times - if you consider that incubation takes 28- 35 days, by the time they have laid enough eggs- and sat on them the required incubation period- spring has usually arrived - or isnt too far off -providing plenty of new foraging places for the newly hatched.

 

[dkosh]

Why would you want them to stop....... eat them! Yummmm!

 

[sayyadina]

Quote:
I've heard that duck eggs can disagree with some people, plus I'm not a huge egg eater.

Never having had poultry/waterfowl, how do you know if an egg would be safe to eat? I'd see if some of my friends are interested, but I don't want to give anyone food poisoning!

 

[mominoz]

Gather them within a couple days, wash in warm soapy water, I soak mine a few minutes first. Then I take a vegtable brush to them and I may spray them with a bleach diluted solution about 4-1.The refridgerate. They taste great. Duck eggs are preferred by bakers and some chefs.....and some people allergic to chicken eggs can eat duck eggs. You could also cook them and feed them to them....(not raw)

 

[Rosebud 18]

My pekin duck started laying in sept. and has been laying ever since. Occassionally missing a day. I turn the light on every night so I can see their pen from my kitchen window. I thought ducks laid during the winter.