Newbie questions about duck eggs and laying

[Frankstonalum]

Hi,

This is my first post, but I do have thank the members on this forum. We have researched a ton over the past year and we can always find the answer here!

Bear with me, I will get to my questions!

This past year or so is our first year raising a flock. We decided (maybe foolishly) to get a mixed flock pretty much right away. We picked various chicken breeds (buff Orpington, white leghorns, australorp, Black sexlink, New Hampshire red.) and then we picked up 5 khaki Campbell’s that were supposed to be all female. The ducks ended up being 3 hens and 2 drakes.

As far as I can tell we haven’t had any duck eggs until maybe just today. The ducks are just over 10 months old. I have once or twice seen a duck hen up in the area of the chicken roosting box but I don’t think they laid anything. Also on occasion our white leghorns will lay eggs on the ground in a nest they make up.

Today I went out and there were 2 eggs that look like pics of khaki Campbell eggs that I’ve seen. They were on the ground and pretty filthy compared to the standard chicken eggs. In the photos I attached the eggs that were on the ground are on the top and then the left.

Here are my questions:

1) do those look like duck eggs?

2) everything I’ve read and from talking to the farm supply we bought them from, says they should have been laying long ago. Any ideas on what to do to make them productive? Some info says the 2 drakes are overwhelming the hens so they aren’t laying, while other sources say the drakes will encourage egg production. I have a ground level nesting box that they don’t seem to give a lick about.

Thanks for your help, Any advice would be helpful!

 

[Cayuga momma]

1) do those look like duck eggs?

Yes, they look like duck eggs. Have you tried cracking them? If the shell is harder to crack then a normal chicken egg than it's most likely a duck egg.

2) everything I’ve read and from talking to the farm supply we bought them from, says they should have been laying long ago. Any ideas on what to do to make them productive? Some info says the 2 drakes are overwhelming the hens so they aren’t laying, while other sources say the drakes will encourage egg production. I have a ground level nesting box that they don’t seem to give a lick about.

2 drakes to 2 hens can be a rough ratio for the hens. I personally don't think the draked will make your hens lay sooner. They will lay when they lay. Some take a couple months others can take a year before they are ready to lay.
Are your drakes mating the hens alot? Are the hens missing feathers?
Do they look beat up?
For now they may get along and be okay, but I would keep an eye on them. The minute your hens look rough or are acting off I would seperate one or both drakes from your girls. You can make a drake jail (just a seperated area) for your boys, to give your hens a break from being over mated.
I hope this helps.
Edit: my girl made her own nest and laid in it for 4 days. Then she laid in the nesting box for 11 days, now she is laying them in random places in the coop and burying them. Sometimes they will lay wherever they happen to be standing as many can attest to on here.

 

[Frankstonalum]

Thanks for the reply!

I just cracked them. I would say they are ducks eggs, the shell was obviously more resistant to cracking, the yolk was larger and the egg whites were a different consistency-thinner in nature more watery. I wondered if other eggs were duck eggs in the past, but these were the first I can say were an obvious difference.

With the hens vs drakes, the hens seem ok, I’ve never seen them look distressed or had feathers pulled out or anything and the 5 of them are inseparable. I’ll keep an eye on them.

Thanks!

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I suspect you have had eggs before now. My girls’ first eggs were much smaller than the ones in your picture. As they have gotten older the eggs have gotten larger.

 

[Cayuga momma]

Thanks for the reply!

I just cracked them. I would say they are ducks eggs, the shell was obviously more resistant to cracking, the yolk was larger and the egg whites were a different consistency-thinner in nature more watery. I wondered if other eggs were duck eggs in the past, but these were the first I can say were an obvious difference.

With the hens vs drakes, the hens seem ok, I’ve never seen them look distressed or had feathers pulled out or anything and the 5 of them are inseparable. I’ll keep an eye on them.

Thanks!

If your chickens and ducks are together you might want to keep an eye on the drakes trying to mate the chickens too. Mine were all raised together, but now that my drakes hormones are in high gear he has been going after my chickens and I had to seperate them. He really tore into my one hen.