My duck laid her first egg!

[ekop31100]

So my 5 month (around there) old khaki campbell duck just laid her first egg, and I had some questions...
Is there anything that I should do differently now that she's laying?
Should any of her eating habits change?
Do I need to give her more calcium or anything like that?
Is there anything else I need to know?

 

[AlohaDuck]

Congrats! How exciting! The first egg moment is indeed priceless.

Yes, you should switch up the feed for layers. If you can afford it this is an excellent choice.

You're correct about her needing calcium. Remember, you are what you eat so it is worth investing in keeping her in tip top shape. If you break down the cost, it is clearly justifiable to go the whole nine yards.

Make sure that she always has fresh clean water at all times. They tend to drink more frequently when laying.

Cheers.

 

[ekop31100]

Thank you for the information. I also have another duck who is about 4 months old and she is what I think is a black swedish. She is not laying yet. If I switched up the feed and calcium and such, should it affect her?

Also, should I put the calcium in the food or water in the form of a powder, or should I feed it to her through other foods?

 

[AlohaDuck]

At 4 months she is still growing so through my experience, gathered knowledge from duck farm owners, and just my plain ol' opinion I think it's best to keep her feed separate until she starts laying. As we know the layer feed is formulated differently and it contains a higher amount of calcium depending on the type. I tend to favor putting calcium in their water or make sure it's mixed in a feed that's mushed to maximize the consumption.

 

[ekop31100]

If they are in the same pen, how can I go about that?

 

[AlohaDuck]

If they are in the same pen, how can I go about that?

 

[ekop31100]

No, they do not eat at a set time. They play for the majority of the day and then in the evening/night/morning they eat when they please. Could I just put calcium powder on a watermelon for the one duck and then leave the other duck with a plain watermelon?

 

[Speceider]

Just feed an all-flock feed and offer oyster shell on the side.


Clint

 

[Rhandi74]

I have a bowl of oyster shells in with my chickens because some are layers and some are not. It seems to work for me. Mine all eat flock feeder. I would think that the calcium on a watermelon would work, but you would need to find out how much your duck needs daily. Also are your ducks the same age?

 

[ekop31100]

My ducks are not the same age. My black swedish was a rescue so I don't know exactly how old she is but I would imagine she is about 4 months. I know for sure she is younger than my khaki campbell, though. Is the oyster shells stuff literally oyster shells? And are they crushed up? And where could I purchase these?