I'm in Mid-new England. About a month ago after some trauma (racoon got into the pen) and I lost 4 of 6 ducks (my fro drake was human stolen which allowed the coon in...its padlocked). My two ducks, who had been really good layers just stopped. One is most definatly molting, the other is hard to tell (all black). Should I expect no eggs till spring? I'm getting a male/female pair of the same age over the weekend which I will introduce next week. That female is laying.
Wow how awful so sorry. Your one duck if molting may not lay till spring it takes my chickens about 1 months to go through molt and longer to begin laying again, after my Muscovys molt they are through laying for the year so hopefully someone with more experience with other domestics can help there. Shock also I'm sure has played a roll for the one your not sure isn't in molt. Maybe once everyone gets use to the new comers[ and that can set laying back even further] but once your new girl begins to settle and lay maybe by then the other 2 will have recovered and get back to laying too. Do you have any idea who stole your drake?
We live on 3 acres but their day run pen is on the edge of our property, near a cul-de-sac that has a sketchy landscape business. The guy who runs it is nice enough but he hires alot of people who have been known to steal anything that's not nailed down. I'm thinking that one of the workers saw the duck during the day, thought it was cute and helped himself after dark. We now have a security camera. I know molting is normal but it looks so painful!
Glad you put up a camera. It must be painful because mine sure act like they don't feel good. They lay around alot and are anti social unless chasing each other around. Let us know how it goes with intros.
