Please Help, My Ducks Aren't Laying Eggs!

[MapleKehDucks]

Hello fellow feather-loving friends!
Every since my ducks were laying-age, my family has enjoyed a VERY steady supply of duck eggs. My Pekins being the best layers, providing 1 egg every day (only taking a 5 day break a month). As of the first week of August 2019, my ducks began molting. There were feathers EVERYWHERE! At first I thought they had an encounter with a predator, until I came on here and read about how ducks have a molting period. I was calm again, and decided to wait patiently for them to go through their "thing" so we could get back to egg-making. I waited... and waited... and I read that they need their protein to grow back feathers... and so I waited... and I watched their feathers grow back in... and I waited still... and I kept checking to see what other people were saying about how long it was supposed to take... then I thought "maybe it's too hot for them to lay?" I mean, I live in South Texas, and it's technically summer temperatures... it could be a thing right? Then it started to cool down.. and still... NOTHING. So I thought "maybe I'm not feeding them enough?" and then I looked at my fat ducks and thought "nope, that can't be it" and it's now 2 months after I received my last egg.

And so here I am... reaching out to my Backyard Chickens community hoping someone can help me help my ducks lay eggs again. They were steadily laying through last winter, and I'm hoping to have ducks eggs for my holiday baking again this year. I have 2 Pekins, 1 Cayuga, and 1 Rouen.

 

[quackiemama]

They may be taking a break which is good for them since laying is pretty rough on the girls bodies. Mine runners and rouen took a pretty good break from late spring through the summer and just now getting back in the groove of things again. My pekins that were hatched end of April just started laying as well. Supposedly the shorter days affect them too. Are you also providing oyster shell on the side? I hope they start laying soon for you. I would miss those yummy duck eggs.

 

[PirateGirl]

My ducks have slowed down substantially due to shorter day length already. Since yours came out of molt just as days got short you may not get many eggs again until after the solstice when production starts to slowly pick back up again.

 

[MerryMeridional]

My ducks have slowed down substantially due to shorter day length already. Since yours came out of molt just as days got short you may not get many eggs again until after the solstice when production starts to slowly pick back up again.

Does production during the rest period typically stop altogether or just greatly diminish?
I hadn't gotten any eggs in weeks and weeks and during that time the ducks were molting. I saw one in the nest box today and dug around to find 8 total. So not sure over what period those were laid but now I'll be checking more regularly.

 

[PirateGirl]

Some ducks stop altogether some just diminish.

From my mixed flock of chickens and ducks, 9 layers, through the summer I was getting 7-8 eggs a day, right now I’m averaging closer to 5 eggs a day by December I expect to average maybe 2 eggs a day. Some girls will stop completely, others might give me an egg a week.

 

[MapleKehDucks]

I am not providing oyster shell on the side. What is it for? Where do you get it?

My layers have stopped completely... but I did notice that my one Cayuga girl (who used to be completely black) is getting more white feathers (we have a drake who mates aggressively which damages the underlying feather follicles) so maybe they aren't finished growing back feathers after all! My husband says if they aren't going to lay anymore, we need to consider a duck dinner so I'm really hoping these girls get their act together! Yikes.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Black ducks do start gettin white my blk Runners started around age 2 an get white with every molt. As for laying most of us have seen a drop off in egg production since the days have gotten shorter and may not see any or few eggs until after winter solstice. Molt usually comes in late fall and that means egg production is either cut off or really cut back. Unless first year layers not much stops them. Oyster shell is ground up small an sold in bags at feed store to supplement calcium our poultry need to lay hard shell egg. The ducks will use it as needed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My black Runner this was a few months ago she is even more white now

 

[Jbently28]

I'm having the same problem right now. My girls haven't laid in over a month. My chickens have even stopped laying. Not sure what's going on, but our weather has been pretty wonky here lately. Hot then cold and so forth. I'm assuming that's the problem.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Lack of daylight affects egg laying too.