Oyster Shell

[fairegirl]

Couple questions for you all.... possible dumb ones LOL

We have a Pekin. She is about 6 months old now. She started laying about maybe 2 months ago now. She laid every single day since the first day. Some big eggs, some small eggs. The big eggs seemed to almost always be double yolks. Then the eggs seemed to level out to smaller, which I thought was odd, I figured it would level out to bigger. What do you think about the egg size? Do some breed ducks lay different size eggs? I thought duck eggs were bigger? The last couple dozen she laid were about chicken size.

Ok, next question. My husband has been gone the last few week, maybe month visiting family and the duck has stopped laying. Not sure if she stopped because of the summer heat or because he left. She just loves him, he spends the most time with her. That probably sounds stupid LOL I'm assuming because of the heat... Anyways. The other morning, I went out to water her and there was an egg there that was pretty much no shell. We haven't been giving her any oyster shell. Should we be? I feel horrible if we should be. If yes... what do you do with it? Like I said these are possible dumb questions... sorry

Thanks for info!

 

[Alexandra33]

4 out of my 9 ducks are laying; the 2 Khaki Campbells have given us eggs for about a month, and they have been an assortment of sizes. Sometimes I find double-yolkers that weigh about 102 grams (the largest the Khaki breed should lay is 85 grams, while Pekins lay eggs that are as big as 100 grams), and others that are about half that. So, in short, I think it's pretty normal to get a range of sizes over a few weeks.

I discovered my first soft-shelled duck egg in the yard about a couple weeks ago, but none since then. We keep oyster shell out in the coop for the chickens and ducks in a small chick feeder by the main feeder. Hope this helps!

-Alexandra33

 

[JJpuck]

I always put a couple handfuls of oyster shell right in with my ducks' pellets every morning, but I still find a couple of shell-less eggs a week. I usually don't get worried because they (a black swedish, a cayuga and a buff

) all tend to lay a normal egg a day in addiction to these shell-less eggs.
Should I be worried and is there a solution for this besides oyster shell?

 

[Amiga]

First, don't anybody feel bad.

Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks recommends extra calcium about a month before they start to lay, and continuing through laying season.

Sometimes even layer feed plus free choice oyster shell doesn't do it for every duck.

I add dissolved calcium citrate to their feed, at about 50 to 80 mg per duck, and still, Romy and Sechs need extra, so at night I give them each peas mixed with calcium water for treats. They stand at the gate and wait for me to open it for them. Bright little waterfowl!

Many times ducks will lay soft eggs and there is not a perceivable problem except perhaps for some discomfort (from observations of my own flock). Still, if their calcium is low (and there are other nutrients besides calcium involved, including the phosphorus-calcium ratio, Vitamin D, and others), they may have heart problems or weak bones, I have been told by a vet.

So, I opt for the extra calcium especially during laying season and often during their time off.

 

[fairegirl]

Our duck still isn't laying "normally"... she has laid 1 or 2 eggs but still soft.

She has been on the oyster shell about 2 weeks now. We have been putting the oyster shell in her food. A small mix in each day.

Before recently, she had been laying about 1 1/2 months, 1 every single day.

How long does it take before we should notice a difference?

Should we put the oyster shell in a separate contain in her area for her to just eat or continue to mix into her food... or is either fine?

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Our duck still isn't laying "normally"... she has laid 1 or 2 eggs but still soft.

She has been on the oyster shell about 2 weeks now. We have been putting the oyster shell in her food. A small mix in each day.

Before recently, she had been laying about 1 1/2 months, 1 every single day.

How long does it take before we should notice a difference?

Should we put the oyster shell in a separate contain in her area for her to just eat or continue to mix into her food... or is either fine?

I don't mix oyster shell in with the food. I have a few dishes of just oyster shell in the duck pen so they can take what they want, separate from the grit. Oyster shell should always be given free choice while ducks are laying. Calcium supplements, as Amiga recommends, can also be helpful if the ducks are already on appropriate feed and have free choice oyster shell available. I have one duck that lays soft eggs about half the time, but I never expected much from her because she's a teeny show duck.