runners haven't started to lay

[aussieheelr]

I have three fawn and white hatchery runners, with 1 drake, all are 27 weeks old as of Monday and NONE have started to lay yet

I know it would be slow for winter but chose them since they're supose to be the "leghorn" of the duck world. Any ideas?

 

[gofasterstripe]

It could be that its too cold for them to start laying and will start in the Spring.

 

[critterranch]

mine hatched in july 2010 and have been laying for 3 weeks now. i get 4 eggs aday now out of 5 hens for the past week. temp has been 20s all week. wind chill has been 10 to -5 this week so far. i use extra light of 17hrs. but no heat or anything.

i feed purnia laying pellets from TSC with cracked corn sprinkled on top during cold weather

 

[ejctm]

Mine hatched in July 2010 also. No eggs yet, but I have not supplemented them with any light. I have read that it is the number of daylight hours that triggers laying rather than the weather or temperatures. During winter, naturally there are fewer hours of daylight per day. I expect that mine will start when the days get longer, hopefully soon but maybe not until Spring.

I have put some dummy eggs in the nest box and one of the girls has got the idea and sleeps in there, sitting on the eggs. It will hopefully mean that she will lay in the right place when the time comes. One of my chickens sometimes lays in there as well, so it must be working!

It is so hard to be patient!

 

[Amiga]

For what it is worth, I have read Storey's Guide and many, many posts on BYC Duck Forum about egg laying. I have learned much.

My ducks taught me that most of them (10 female runners) don't lay if they are too cold.

A few weeks ago, because two were molting and were shivering as the temperatures dropped into the 20's I moved them into a 60 sf pen in the walkout basement. Temperatures there are in the mid 40s give or take.

At that time they had been giving us three eggs a day, for weeks. I reckoned it was the shorter daylength.

It's been about three weeks, and we are now getting eight eggs a day. Yes, they get a little more light, but they are also more perky, and just look a little better. They go outside a few times a day, until they start acting too cold. Some days (mid 30s, usually, and sunny), they like to stay out in the duck yard all day. But at night, they come in.

It's been less expensive to just have them in the basement than try to figure out a safe way to heat their double-walled, insulated duck house. With our layout, it's pretty easy to get them outside and into the different fenced areas we have for them.

When it comes to laying eggs, I think in terms of energy. If the duck is using all her energy to stay warm, or fight off an infection or parasite, or stress, she doesn't have anything left for forming an egg. She needs the right nutrition and environment.

That said, some ducks just take quite a while to start laying. Some of mine started at 16 weeks, but they weren't all laying until 22 weeks, and that was in full summer. I'm still not getting ten eggs, so either they are not laying daily (quite likely) or we have a couple that still aren't back to laying.

 

[AdamD77]

Well my 4 girls were hatched in April and still no eggs! My mum and I still check wishfully every morning but realistically I think it'll be Spring before we see any. We don't give them extra light or anything, we think it's nice for them to have a natural sunrise and sunset

 

[ejctm]

Hey Adam - April???

You sure they don't have any tiny drake curls hiding in those feathers!!???

 

[DuckyMom]

The ducks will begin laying at 6 weeks or the first spring afterwards. It's not common that they"ll begin laying in the winter. it will be slower in future winters but for now is unlikley things will start up until spring.
Emily

 

[AdamD77]

Quote:
Yep, April! I know, they've been waaaay too long starting

I've got my fingers crossed though and I know that when we do go in and find one it'll be very exciting

Nope

They were sold sexed as girls and they all are girls

You should've heard the amount of noise they were making earlier! In fact, maybe you could, we don't live too far away if you're in Hertfordshire, I'm in Bedfordshire!

I do worry though, I'm sure they should've started by now... Only time will tell I guess

 

[ejctm]

Adam - So THAT is what that racket was the other day, I thought it was way too loud for my 2 girls, lol