Mallard Ducks have Stopped Laying Eggs

[drseth]

Hi,

I have a drake and two hen mallard ducks, hatched last year, that share a yard with a rooster and two hens in a chicken yard and hen house. The ducks were laying eggs almost daily until late November. I have a 3'x6' trough that is 12 inches deep in the yard, and I cleaned it out and found about 3 dozen old eggs in the bottom of the trough.

Should I separate the ducks and chickens? The chickens are dominant over the ducks but don't seem overly aggressive to them. The ducks stay to themselves and rarely go inside of the henhouse. I have a container in the yard that the ducks have previously laid eggs in, but I don't see any evidence of them building a nest.

Should I empty the trough and let them get water through a water pan? Is water necessary for the ducks to mate?

I would like the ducks to start laying and sit on a clutch of eggs, ideally.

The Canadian Geese are back from the winter and are paired up in the creek, so it seems to be the right time for the ducks to be building a nest and laying eggs.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Seth Anderson
Moon, VA

 

[drseth]

Can anyone help me?

 

[melissamerry]

Well I'm not an expert and still new to ducks, but I believe that mallards are seasonal layers. I know that mine have stopped this pass month because they started molting.

As for keeping chickens with ducks I've read about mixed opinions. There's quite a few threads debating about it if you want to search for them. All that I know is that it could be fatal for your chickens if your drake tries to mate with them.

I hope someone with experience chimes in for your sake!