First Egg!

[Amiga]

JosieR,

I know ducks like routine, but it seems to me our routine has had to be adjusted at least every three days for some reason or other.

Today it seemed the runners were really jonesing for more protein. My place is not completely set up for them to safely forage in as many places as I eventually plan to make available to them, so I spend some time hunting slugs (which I would do anyway for the garden "hand picking R us"), and picking weed salads (ditto for the garden).

I have tried different types of bedding, different configurations for their water pans, adjusted for dry weather, adjusted for wet weather, so their infrastructure is constantly changing.

Today I began building their day pen. Up to now it has been a temporary poultry fence. I don't leave them out there if I am not in earshot, since it is not strong enough to keep out foxes or coyotes, or even housecats.

So for now, they have a little less romping room, while I build first one half then the other of their secure day pen. Always something.

Perhaps once the infrastructure is in, and they are fully mature, we will have something like a routine.

But routine or not, every day is a treat, with those runners!

 

[JosieR]

Hahaha! I don't know about the ducks but *I* like a routine! I let them free range so I'm hoping they will find the increased protein they need on their own.

Runners are so much fun, I agree. You can't help but smile when you look at the little goofballs. They always look confused

What are your plans for your eggs?

 

[Amiga]

I ate the first one!

And I intend to eat more. Once we are past the first eggs stage, when things can be a little odd until their systems are fully functional, I plan to give some away and sell some. With no drake, those are our options.

The first one, by the way, was completely fine. It was within the size range for runner eggs in the table in Storey's Guide, not a really small egg like I expected. The rest have been just slightly larger, about 50 grams.

 

[T Hi]

I am so eggcited for you Amiga!! My runners are about 9 1/2 weeks old. Should I put out some oyster next week?

Oh how our babies grow!! '

'

 

[Amiga]

T Hi,

So good to see someone who appreciates the eggsquisite joys of runner ducks!

I began giving mine free choice a half a cup of oyster shell (that's for everybody - all eleven) once a week when they were about twelve weeks old. Too early is hard on their organs. That was the tricky part. On the one hand, ideally they get extra calcium a few weeks before they lay. Uhm, there is no LED on them that gives a countdown. I went ahead with some once a week supplementation based on their behavior. They were obviously wanting to breed, and they had the milky vent discharge. Some of them really chowed down on the oyster shell, some poked at it and walked away. Although they are the same age, we have a bit of a span of development. Especially Elfie, who has lagged about two to three weeks behind everyone else. She just got done with her first molt, about three weeks after everyone else.

I also started adding a daily handful (I have small hands) of cat kibble. They have all the maintenance pellets they want, plus bugs they forage and weed salads and slugs I give them.

Another thing that nicely coincided with their maturation was dandelion greens. I gave them handfuls of that beginning about 12 weeks, and I believe that has calcium in it. On the days the slugs are few and far between, I give them an extra handful or two of cat kibble.

 

[T Hi]

Awesome! Thank you!

I don't remember what the colors of all your darlings are! Let me know if you get any cool colored eggs! I had thought that the blacks laid the green/blue eggs. '

'

I would love crazy eggs!!

You are so lucky that they all are hens! I am thinking that 2 of mine are drakes. I love them anyway!!

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
Calls can take longer to sexually mature than other breeds, as they are not a breed that was bred for laying or meat, and they are much more conservative generally speaking when it comes to laying. Me personally, I'd wait till you see more of the sexually mature behaviors/signs...drake feathers coming in, displaying, breeding. Their behavior when given fresh water in a pool is usually a good tell, as it will trigger mating activity pretty often. Most of my whites are Hodum whites and they were hatched in either April or May, and I didn't get the first egg until November. Since the ducklings with the white are likely from that line, that could help too as far as timeline...I think they were hatched in March, so that could put you at perhaps September or October for eggs. I didn't expect them to lay that early, and I didn't have oyster shell out at the time, so it can still happen if they are free ranging (or have a really huge outside pen) like mine were at the time.

I know it's hard to wait, but I wouldn't rush them. Mine did right by me and are still laying...the whites and grays came back into lay after molting!

 

[Hattiegun]

Quote:
Calls can take longer to sexually mature than other breeds, as they are not a breed that was bred for laying or meat, and they are much more conservative generally speaking when it comes to laying. Me personally, I'd wait till you see more of the sexually mature behaviors/signs...drake feathers coming in, displaying, breeding. Their behavior when given fresh water in a pool is usually a good tell, as it will trigger mating activity pretty often. Most of my whites are Hodum whites and they were hatched in either April or May, and I didn't get the first egg until November. Since the ducklings with the white are likely from that line, that could help too as far as timeline...I think they were hatched in March, so that could put you at perhaps September or October for eggs. I didn't expect them to lay that early, and I didn't have oyster shell out at the time, so it can still happen if they are free ranging (or have a really huge outside pen) like mine were at the time.

I know it's hard to wait, but I wouldn't rush them. Mine did right by me and are still laying...the whites and grays came back into lay after molting!

Hey DuckLuck Thanks... I thought I knew things from what I had read and now that I have MY duckies , its like all that went out the window.. !! I dont want them to lay lol I want them to stay just the way they are RIGHT NOW.. FOREVER !!!!! .lol and OMG... My boys ARE starting to display those behaviors... and most of the time it IS when I fill the pond with new water .. its a hoot... and my grey has 1 drake feather. My boys LOVE to talk to me the most.. when I get there they are all wakkkk wakkkk wakkking Omlet (white female) is sooooo LOUD and she CRACKS me up... but the boys have to get right in my FACE and catch me up on everything that went on since the last time I was there..LMAO...... i jus LUV EM sooo much

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Hattie, yours sound like my bunch. There are 10 in my group, 7 are about 17 weeks and 3 are only about 6ish weeks old (i just got the 5-6 week old runners Sunday) and they all come up 2-4 times a day for their meals at my house and they all quack and wak at me and fuss. The little runners come right up to me and know I will put a bowl of food right in front of my feet so the big gluttons don't dare bully them from their food and they eat out of my hand...They are awesome.

I am having to start my egg searches now, I am pretty sure one if not two of my magpies already are or is just about to start laying. They show no interest in the nesting areas however, and so I am hunting in their favorite sleep patches at the edges of the woods. X_x