Hardy egg production versus normal egg production?

[nao57]

So lately I'd been thinking that I wasn't aware of any studies done on how duck egg productions ranks when times are hard, either weather, or hard to get feed, etc.

I'm curious what you think about this? Is there something like this where they are ranked on 'resistant to egg production shutting down when times are hard' etc? There's more than one way to word this also, maybe weather, heat, drought, or bad winter, lots of snow, etc.

So I wonder what you think about it?

Most egg production studies are about ideal conditions and ideal numbers. If there isn't such a study as this, there could be a way to do it by comparing resistance to change when there's a bad year on mallard species types etc.

So its interesting to me at least.

But maybe some of you have seen some things on your own with what types of ducks you already have?

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

I have Pekin ducks and even though there has been some snow and very cold weather, their egg production hasn't slowed. Is that what you asking?

 

[nao57]

Yeah stuff like that. Like for example, some people don't get very many eggs in winter for some reason.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

First my apologies for the novel read at your own risk of boredom

For weather experience my ducks have gone from two extremes. We previously lived on the east coast on a peninsula that was surrounded by the Atlantic ocean where for months on end it would be around 95-100+ degrees with 90%+ humidity (even hotter sometimes depending on the day). We were hit with usually 2-3 tropical storms per year and the summer before we left we got hit with a hurricane that actually threw a whole tree on my car causing $5000 in damage and we had some flooding. My Hookbills laid eggs daily regardless and my other breeds it depended on the breed. We then moved to the Midwest where it was -10 the day we moved. The coldest day was -26 I believe, or at least that is what I was told in the closest town, but our thermometers were reading around -30. Although we live wayyy out of town and our property is right next to a river so we have the lake/river effect not to mention there is very little wind break. My ducks stopped laying for 1- 2 weeks (depending on the duck) initially after the move, but laid faithfully after that even in negative weather. The snow was just above my knee in some parts of the property and just below depending where I stood so not a lot of snow, but more snow then my ducks had ever seen prior (2" that only lasted 2-3 days was the deepest). The wind speed here on "a not windy day" is around 10mph and it's been up to 110 mph depending on the day. It did get up to 108 degrees here over the summer, but it was more of a dry heat and my ducks still laid eggs. For breed reference I have Hookbills currently and some of my mixed layers. Before I had mallards, runners and Rouens as well. I do not feed layer feed just oyster shells on the side, I do not do artificial lighting to extend laying, their coop is an un-insulated barn and they have always been able to forage outside from daylight to usually an hour before sundown. My Hookbills lay all year round no matter the weather. Which I think is due to their ancient genetics and no real further domesticating of the breed by introducing new breeds or at least to the extent that other breeds have experienced. I would love to move to Northern Canada one day so maybe I will be able to eventually tell you how my Hookbills lay in extreme artic temperatures I don't know if any of that was helpful, but that's what I've experienced. I know everyone focuses on the rarity of Hookbills, but I think their general hardiness, docile personalities and amazing egg laying abilities are truly understated.