I don't want ducklings now....what to do, what to do

[BirdBrain]

Well, today my daughter found the first muscovy egg. It was frozen solid, sitting in the bedding in the middle of the coop. No one was claiming it. AAAACK. It is too cold here to be brooding babies. They have a light that gives them about 14 hours of light. I wanted them to have enough light so they could get enough to eat each day but am wondering if I did them a disservice by letting them have too much light. I don't really want to encourage laying as I would like to let them brood in the Spring time, not when everything is frozen solid. The breeder thought they would start laying in January, but that is too cold to be having baby ducks running around...I think. Does anyone else have duck brooding in the dead of winter?---Alaskan winter. What should I do?

 

[vebyrd36]

I think it is a common problem here as well. Maybe 14 hours is to much light. I'm still trying to figure out why my duck and geese at laying when it is cold.

 

[FenDruadin]

Ummm... I may be wrong, but I don't think you actually have a problem. It doesn't sound like the duck is considering going broody. Just because she lays doesn't mean she's going to set--especially if she's very young and just starting to lay.

I would just collect the eggs each day, so they never accumulate a pile that they might think about setting on.

How many hours a day of light are they getting? If you're worried about them getting enough to eat, just set it on a timer to make sure they have ten or so hours a day. As long as it's less than 14 or so, it shouldn't stimulate them to set.

Of course, I've never had muscovies, so maybe they are different about this. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[duckyfromoz]

The laying of an egg doesnt mean the duck will go broody and want to sit anyway. Just remove any eggs laid each day and you wont have to worry about the chance of babies hatching in winter.

Out here in Australia- I worry more about them siting in the middle of summer than the middle of winter. Out temperatures out here are much more extreme over the hotter months. While it can get below freezing here- it never that cold for too long. But summer months we can have weeks on end with no rain and temps above 100 degrees - On days like that we dont worry when our broodies leave the nest for a while - but it sure can knock them around to be sittingon a nest on that type of day.

 

[BirdBrain]

I thought Muscovies were seasonal layers and would stop laying after a while. I don't want them to stop laying in March when I want them to decide to go broody and then there are no eggs laid. So it seems like I should drop the daylight hours a bit. It starts to get light around 9 am and then it is dark by 4:30 or so, so that is not a lot of time. Maybe if I put the timer on at 6:30 am and then have it go off around 10 am so they go to bed with natural light. Would that work? Would she stop laying until spring? DD will be happy to collect duck eggs when she checks for the chicken eggs. I guess I was most worried that she would go broody or run out of this seasons eggs, before the season started.

Reminds me of that classic line from "Gone With the Wind"..."Miss Scarlet, I don't know nothin' about birthin' no babies."

 

[treldib]

If its frozen solid, its likely that no one is sitting on it. I would let them be, its good to get eggs

 

[BirdBrain]

So the general concensus is just enjoy omlets until March and then let them be?

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

My Rouen is laying again, and as soon as she lays and leaves the egg I go in and I take the egg, wash it really good and put it in the refridgerator. I just baked brownies with my set of duck eggs for the 1st time and I have people willing to try my ducks eggs as well, we aren't quite ready for the omlette style of the eggs yet, baby steps.

 

[bibkel]

So, do ducks fuss like chickens when they lay? How do you know when they have laid an egg? mine are only babies still, 2+ months.
Oh, and how old, same as chickens? 6 months or so?

 

[Wifezilla]

6 months or so is right. No "egg song" though. At least I never hear anything that I can tie directly to laying.