How long do Muscovy ducks lay eggs?

[Connie White]

I have some beautiful Muscovy's who have started laying eggs - one a day right now! My question is - how long will they lay eggs? Are there any cycles - I mean - how can my one duck hatch out all these eggs and yet lay one per day still?

Thanks for any help that you can provide on this - I want to start selling the eggs, but have no idea how long my supply will last. All my gals are almost 1 year old by the way - free rangers. They've been laying for a month now.

Connie

 

[Going Quackers]

their seasonal layers, mine stopped around late Oct and resumed in Jan. I have 8 ducks of laying age, some days i get 6 some 8 some less.. it varies. Technically, 1 a day so in theory, i would get over 50 a week at maximum production but molting, if they sit a nest etc will effect that too.

 

[Connie White]

Do you ever hatch any of your own out by artificial means?

 

[Going Quackers]

No, i have understood they can be rather tricky to do so. With having 8(actually now 9 lol) ducks i use them if i want more birds. Their way better at it than i could ever be.

 

[Connie White]

Ok - that seems to be the consensus on hatching them out. I have one duck doing that right now in an isolated area, she's on her own 10+ eggs - but have another duck trying to - but she cannot because other chickens lay eggs in the duck spot - and so she ends up with chickens always by her laying eggs - worse - it's the favorite laying spot - they all line up for it like women at a restroom! What do you do in this situation? Thanks for the info!

Don't know what part of Canada you're from - but I went to Vancouver a year ago - WOW it was beautiful!

 

[Michael Stamati]

hello,i have 6 muscovies , 3 drakes and 3 hens , they started laying eggs, in April 2013, but only 1 duckling hatched,which died 3 days later....now 28/07/2013 , i am waiting to start laying again...tell me please if anyone know,when probably will lay again ?????and if will brood again the second clutch of eggs ???
thank you ,greetings from Greece !!!

 

[jdywntr]

Successful laying and brooding requires a number of things. More information will help.

Are the ducks all getting along or is there any fighting between males?
Are they all kept together?
Are the females being overbred? Do they show any signs of overbreeding like missing feathers on the back of the neck?
What are they eating?
Where are they kept?

Overcrowding, overbreeding and a deficient diet can affect laying.

Answers to these questions may help determine why they aren't laying.

 

[learycow]

Laying depends on many factors.
In ideal settings, it also depends on your location (climate, weather, etc)

Here in New England, muscovy ducks tend to start laying in March/April and will lay until October/November.
If you collect the eggs daily, they will lay anywhere from 4-7 eggs a week (zero to 1 egg a day) assuming they are 1-4 years old (they tend to lay less as they age once they reach peak age).
I have found that if I let them sit on their eggs, they will sit on and hatch anywhere from 5 eggs up to 30+ eggs (the more eggs they have in the nest, the harder it is for them to keep all eggs warm so you may have a bad hatch. If mine sit on more than 25 I take some away). If you have other ducks or chickens laying in her nest, and can't move her nest to a place where she won't be bothered, then mark the eggs that are hers and you want her to hatch. Then go in every day and take out the "new" eggs that the others add. That way she is only incubating her eggs and not everyone elses.

Also, I have found that once they hatch, I generally leave the ducklings with momma duck for 2-3 days. Then I take them away and put them in the brooder. They usually will lay eggs and set again depending on how late in the year it is.
I have 2 ducks that hatched clutches about 3 weeks ago. I took the ducklings on day 3. Both ducks have already made new nests and have started to set on them. So they usually will set again as long as you don't let them raise the ducklings. If you do, then they will take care of them until they are 2-3 months old. If it's early in the season, I've had ducks raise babies to 3 months, then leave them to start another nest. But not all will go back into broody mode.

 

[Michael Stamati]

thank you so much for the advices.
finally on 10th August my duck start laying eggs (she lay 17 eggs) and now incubate the eggs.however only 2 eggs are parents,all other eggs was infetile.because i think i had 3 male and 3 female (the males fighting) .but now i have only one male
my ducks had signs of overbreeding like missing feathers on the back of the neck and i kept them all together.on august i started give them corn and bran .

 

[Hopmeadow]

I hope someone can help me
I have a year old ( presumably) Muscovy female duck that I rescued a year ago
She spends half the year at our farm in New York and half the year in our backyard in Miami.
She follows me everywhere and hangs out in the living room whenever I am not looking with the dogs
She started laying one egg a day a few months ago but a few days ago she laid 2 soft eggs.
Her diet is live meal worms ,snails plus I try and give her scratch and some egg maker - but she doesn't like it. I give her dried cat food too.
I have tried fresh veggies and fruits ... She shakes her head...
Any ideas?
She sleeps in the house at night in a big cage... She is very comfortable in there .. I do that because she is afraid of the dark and stands at the back door
Any help would be so greatly appreciated.