Muscovy not laying

[savingdogs]

My two muscovy hens, both almost one year old, have not layed any eggs at all for about two months or more.

Is that normal for muscovy for the winter or should I be concerned? I stopped giving them layer pellets so that they would not get too much calcium.

This is my first year with muscovy. Is this normal?

We do live in a cold-winter climate and the coop is not heated or lighted. We do not have snow on the ground most of the time but we do get regular frosts. However one of them was laying in November and was actually broody for awhile, although she is not now.

Any ideas when they may start laying again or going broody? Is it individual or is there a typical pattern?

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Muscovy will lay through the winter but they like heat. Ours we finally put in with the chickens rather with the other ducks, the body heat from the chickens was the only heat source. the muscovy claimed the top roost bar( the warmest) for the night and would lay in the top bank of nest boxrs, but egg production would drop to 10-20% of what it was in the summer. When spring finally rolled around they did NOT start laying again as the other ducks did in fairly early spring. It wasn't until nights stayed above 45-50F before they took up full production again. My Theory, and it is only a theory is that since them came from non migration semi tropical stock they were more effected by heat than regular ducks who egg cycle is controlled more by day length. A migrating duck is told when to fly north by day length. Once they get up North the days are longer even if the temp is cooler. Ducks that did not start laying right away would miss the window and not reproduce since their offspring would be too young to make the long trip back South, die, and not pass their late genes on. When Man got in the act, he bred for extended egg production and decreased broodyness (Broody ducks don't lay)
The Muscovy is much less season driven, usually if the weather is warm enough she will lay a clutch, brood and hatch that clutch and repeat untill it starts to get too cold again. what other duck will give you 3 clutches in a year? Short answer in the spring after your normal ducks start.

 

[duckfat]

We are a small commercial poultry farm and have muscovy ducks that are currently laying. The key to production, like other breeds of ducks, is to subject them to 16 hours a day of light.

 

[savingdogs]

Well I'm not too concerned about getting eggs per se.....just the fact that they are not laying. I'm perfectly willing to wait for eggs, just wondered about the health of my hens.

They do not seem to be overly cold, they stay outside overnight often when they could be in their coop. Since I don't have room for them in my chicken coop and they make it too wet (we live in a rainy climate), I don't have a way to run electricity to the duck coop as well. We do have very short days currently because we are in Washington state.

So I am thinking my ducks are normal since we have no artificial light or heat. Very interesting history goosedragon. I also appreciate your imput, duckfat. Your username makes me want to giggle! But thank you both.

 

[Caprice_Acres]

I don't supply extra heat/light to any of my birds, I'm surprised I get as many chicken eggs as I do - I contribute it mainly to the young birds we have this year being heavy layers.

My 'scovies all stopped laying months ago. I did kinda stop them early by moving them away from their preferred nesting spots, however.

 

[duckfat]

Quote:
About half our flock of muscovies prefer to remain outside at night down to ten below even though they have a choice of a large insulated coop or a open air partially enclosed shed. We provide a small amount of light in the shed where the livestock guardian dog has her insulated dog house built off of it. I often find muscovy eggs in the shed or doghouse, as I did today. Even have a chinese goose that is currently laying. The insulated coop is provided with 16 hours of strong light, and a couple muscovy hens are laying regularly in there.

Here they are sunning themselves today while waiting for Spring. It is currently 16 degrees.

 

[savingdogs]

Yours look very much like mine! I have the white scovies also. Yours look perfectly clean in that picture. You must not have mud like we do!

 

[duckfat]

Quote:
That is because everything is frozen for the season, including their poop. Springtime it will become a muddy disaster, however that is a three acre shallow pond in the background for them to bathe in. The pond remains partially open where spring fed water feeds into it through a culvert from the other side of the road. They will fly out there for a quick bath. There is also a rubber tub off to the right of the picture for them to bathe in also.

 

[savingdogs]

And they are still going in? Mine stopped swimming when it got cold. They have a pond but I have not filled it as much for them especially when it freezes like today.

 

[duckfat]

Quote:
Some do, some don't. It's not an every day event as it is for our mallards, pekins and chinese geese.