Help me get these gals laying!

[Wolf-Kim]

I have 5 Cayugas, 4 gals and a handsome boy. They have laid for me before and laid well.

The chickens are all laying. Then when I added new nest boxes the ducks got all excited and gave me two eggs that week, but THAT WAS IT!!!! What in the world!?!?

The ducks get the same as the chickens, whole corn, whole oats, whole barley and some BOSS. The chickens are laying full throttle, so do the ducks need more protein? The chickens sometimes lay in the duck nests, so I don't think I'm dealing with an egg pred. I want some Cayuga ducklings, but to do that I need some eggs!!

 

[rlhbond]

Have they recently molted? Mine quit laying when they molt. Are you sure they're not laying somewhere else?

 

[Wolf-Kim]

They molted over winter. But they gave me those two eggs just last week. If they gave me an two eggs, one egg a day for two days, then they should be laying regularly. Right?

 

[rlhbond]

Is there somewhere else they could be laying....like in a pool full of dirty water? That's where a lot of mine have started laying recently.

 

[nissa_loves_cats]

Mine were laying all over the place when they were free ranging--- I found an egg way out in the goat pasture....

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Ummmm are they getting any calcium?? It doesn't sound like it. They need calcium to lay. I would add some oyster shell and definitely more protein. Have you tried giving them a laying pellet like Layena, or Mazuri, or Purina duck foods? They really need that extra protein and calcium to be able to breed and lay.

Otherwise you're going to end up with eggbound females and that's a very painful thing for them that can even cause their death.

Laurie

 

[dumb_cluck]

You have upset the "apple cart" by introducing the nest boxes. Ducks, even though you may think different, can reason. When something is introduced "all of a sudden", they go on red alert.

Give them some time to acclimate to their new stuff. Mine did the same thing when I put in old desk drawers for nesting boxes. They starred at them and contemplated for weeks until they were sure nothing was wrong.

 

[headred]

I would bet they are hiding from you, the eggs, that is!

I was out of town for a week last year and my mom was looking all over the place and never found one. I came home, looked everywhere, couldn't find a thing! Then one day I went out to move one of my compost piles and wa-la. Here's what it looked like.... http://www.whatupduck.com/the-most-eggs-i-ever-saw/

I say look all over and find the hidey hole!