How often does the Muscovy duck lay?

[Chicabee19]

same as a chicken?

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

Scovies are pretty seasonal. My Girl started in May this year and layed until end of July.

Last year she started in Febuary and layed through until mid September.
Usually an egg a day but it varies from duck to duck, and of course the only reason a scovie lays eggs is to go broody on them, my girl will immediately change nesting spots once she notices that I take her eggs away, until she finds a spot that I don't know of......

This year has been weird and Short, last year my quail, ducks and pheasants drowned me in eggs, this year they all started late and gave me 5- 12 egg per bird(fertility was terrible too).

I think in Warmer parts of the country Muscovies will lay all year around.

Anna

 

[Chicabee19]

are you kidding? shoot... ducks don't lay very many months, do they?

i was thinking of getting a Muscovy, mostly for the eggs.

Will light affect them the way it does chickens, or is it more a temperature thing with ducks?

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

If you want a duck breed for eggs you should consider Kahki Campells or Runners, they are like the leghorns of the duck world and are like chickens when it comes to light etc.

I think Scovies are the least productive of all the types of ducks(that are not exotics) out there.

 

[Chicabee19]

I don't think one of the other duck breeds would do too well in the middle of town. I never considered having a duck until I read that Muscovy ducks don't quack.

I'd love to hear from people who have ducks on a normal city lot.

 

[Heather J]

I'm not in a normal city, but have lose neighbors on the sides and my muscovies didn't start laying until July, but it may be she was too young until then. She laid her eggs, went broody, stopped at three weeks (I don't know if something was stealing the eggs, or if she kicked them *all* out of the nest, but they disappeared.), then promptly began laying again and after a few weeks went broody again.

If you live in the city you'll need to clip their wings if you get muscovies, because mine were always flying into the neighbor's back yard until the girls started laying, then the flying stopped. I heard Khaki's are the same way, not that they fly as high or as much as muscovies, but that they stop flying when the start laying. They are rumored to set three nests a year, but as I said, she started late, so I'm thinking just the two this year, and none of them have been fertile so far (I stole a bunch of eggs for the bator, but nothing happened in them). I gave her a bunch of chiken eggs to sit on instead, and she's been really diligent lately, I'll have to kick her off the nest when they get ready to hatch and take the chicken ones so she doesn't kill them (I heard ducks will do that to chicks).

She lays big eggs.... Good luck in your search.

 

[Chicabee19]

Thanks Heather...

do you have any problem with noise from your ducks?

 

[HaleMoa]

YESTERDAY, i picked up my 2 scovy girls from the previous owner and there was an egg in the pen. and TODAY, while finishing up their house, we had them in with the chickens and guineas, and AGAIN another egg. it was so cool that i named them both (and i'm not big on naming the birds either until their fate is definitely determined.)

anyway i know who layed the egg today (noemi), but i'm not sure if its the same duck from yesterday or if her and luka are taking turns. in any case they seem to be laying pretty good.

oh, and we're in Hawaii, so i'm not sure if that affects their laying seasons at all or what.

 

[gunnarwordon]

I don't think one of the other duck breeds would do too well in the middle of town. I never considered having a duck until I read that Muscovy ducks don't quack.

I'd love to hear from people who have ducks on a normal city lot.

I live in the city, and have pekins in the bator. But after reading about how loud they are, I am getting rid of them ASAP and swapping them for Muscovies.