I have 15 ducks, half male, half female. Only one duck is laying eggs. What's going on?

[jakej1978]

For the last few weeks, I've noticed only chicken eggs, with the occasional large Duck egg. I have about 8 female ducks and only one is laying eggs. They are all about 8 months to two years old. I have 3 hens that lay eggs every day. But the ducks seem to have shut down.

I've separated the females from the males and kept them in their own locked up area, since they are generally free ranging after about 2pm. I wanted to keep them all together to confirm my suspicions, which were correct.

Two days ago I reduced the flock by about two heads, the males have been rather hard on the female, so one ended up in the freezer and the other became dinner. I'm now down to about 13 ducks, or 8 females and 5 males. Could this have been the issue? They are well fed, but even my best egg layers, the khaki campbells stopped. There's about 4 Khakis, 1 pekin, and two Indian runner / Khaki mixed and one muscovy female.

 

[Quatie]

It is is possible that having too many drakes is part of the problem. Other possible things going on is that they are hiding eggs if you let them free range. Ducks will lay their eggs anywhere. This is the time of year ducks molt and they will usually stop laying when they molt. They may also just ready to stop laying for the season. Depending on where you live, will determine when your ducks will stop laying for the year.

 

[Poultry mum]

I would send the kids on a duck egg hunt… chances are they laying eggs in the most unusual places… or they are about to start molt… like chickens ducks will stop laying eggs when molt starts and won’t start again until spring…

i would also reduce the number of drakes you have to 2… having to many drakes maybe stressing your girls out and this will stop them laying as well…

 

[Miss Lydia]

Not much day light now and it usually signals many poultry to stop or slow down until days start to get longer. I have 12 female ducks and 3 drakes and in the last few weeks none of my females are laying they are in age from 2 yrs to 5. My muscovy are part of the 12 but they are much older and their laying habits are just
about non existent now.