Runners: only 30 eggs per year?

[start living]

Any chance they are older ducks and past their prime laying years??? I’ve never heard of a runner only laying 30 eggs a year. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist

My ducks are 6 months old. The lady I got them from told me they will start laying eggs in spring, but way less than 100. Then I got three more runners from a guy who told me they will lay around 30 eggs in spring and that's it for the year.
I'm in Germany here and most people do not consider duck eggs edible. Ducks are kept for meat, to eat slugs and as pets, that's mostly it. I'm starting to think most runners here have very bad genetic material for egg production, unlike in the US. That's why I'm now trying to find Khaki Campbell ducks, which I hope have better chances for being productive layers.

 

[chickens really]

Keep waiting. You will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[start living]

I just asked the previous owners about how they handled the laying ducks. One said, they didn't really count the eggs and the other one said, they waited until the nest was full and then collected all of them (40-60 per duck) once.
So, to maximise production, you have to collect everey egg every day and destroy any nest as well, is that right? How much of a difference does that make, does anyone know?

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you want fresh eggs to eat collect daily. If you have a drake and want your female to sit and hatch leave the eggs in the nest and let her lay till she begins to brood then in 28 days you’ll have ducklings. You don’t have to destroy the nest every day if your going to collect eggs for eating selling or giving away. I’ve never heard of letting the ducks lay every single egg they are going to lay for the season and then collect there would def be rotten eggs in those nests .

 

[Miss Lydia]

The only reason you’d have to destroy a nest is if you didn’t want your Runners to sit and hatch eggs not if your going to collect them daily.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They will make a nest sort of even to just lay not necessarily to hatch a brood of eggs. I collect at the end of the day giving everyone opportunity to lay ducks usually lay early morning but I have chickens who lay up into the day.

 

[Callender Girl]

None of my runners has shown any interest in going broody; in fact, I considered popping their eggs under one of my chickens who really, really wanted to hatch eggs. However, the runner girls aren't at all picky about WHERE they lay. Ideally, it's within their shelter. Usually, it's in the amsonia foliage, the wild roses or right out in the middle of the yard. It's like gathering breakfast while having a scavenger hunt.

However, my four mature girls are egg machines, laying nearly every day. They started in mid-March and finally quit in late September. I don't add extra light for any of my girls. I don't feel like working much in the winter, why should they?

But even if they didn't lay a single egg, I would keep them just for the entertainment value. They are the funniest!

 

[Miss Lydia]