Now my question:
I have heard that ducks mate for life. Is this true?
Blinky has issues with her eggs, they have never been good. The ones she lays are soft, and I've seen her "drop" them while walking around the yard as if she were pooing. The girls have free choice oyster shell and I've bn mixing some in their feed to try t get her more. Is this "normal" when they just start laying? She has only lain 6 eggs about 3-4 weeks apart. Can anyone help me figure out what her issue might be, please?
There have bn NO eggs from her since late Sept. My Khaki Cambelll, Waddle has been laying daily maybe missing one day every other week or so. How can I tell if her eggs are fertile or not and are Khaki Cambells known t go broody?
Hi!
I have a flock of Runners and a trio of Buffs. There is one Buff with the Runners, but she is so much a part of that tribe, I forget she's a Buff!
Anyway, when my Runners were beginning to lay, we regularly saw soft eggs. I think part of that was from how much they were playing hop on top, but I have read that it is not unusual at first.
My flock is now five years old, and we were still getting up to three soft eggs a day between the two groups. I found that calcium gluconate, 23% solution, added to a couple of tablespoons of mashed peas (about a half teaspoon of the gluconate) helped, but that means separating the soft egg girl and giving her "special." And that's fine, but I felt it was not the best solution. Worked well short term, though.
For the flock, I added a teaspoon of Ca gluconate per half cup of water added to their feed to make it oatmeal consistency. Yup, some folks will say the feed will mold if you add water, but my Runners generally finish their feed long before it has a chance to mold. I mean, in a few hours. I make small batches. Anyway...
I also decided recently to try dissolving calcium citrate tablets in water, then adding that to their feed. I started slowly, with 500 mg for the flock per day. We would get a little improvement once a week, so I recently increased to a gram (1,000 mg) for the entire flock per day, most days (I have also recently read that fluctuating the amount of calcium in their feed keeps up their ability to hold on to and release their own internal calcium reserves).
Since doing that, we have had fewer soft eggs and more regular eggs.
And here is another thing that has been happening, and I realized last night there is a possibility it might have a small positive effect. I spent very much time with the ducklings, and the ducks their first year or two. Then I wanted to reclaim a place in human society, and reduced the amount of time spent among the flock. Last week I was missing my flock time, so I parked myself with them for an hour, a few times during the week just to enjoy their company. Once I had my laptop, once I just napped on top of some bales of shavings.
The next day I would see eggs. Once, three, and once, two.
Maybe it's coincidence. I know that I have not had that time the last few days and I have not seen eggs. . . . Hmmmmmmm….
Even if it has nothing to do with their laying, I recommend flock time - it is therapeutic for me, and probably for many of us.
……
Regarding her not laying, if this is her first year, I might be a little concerned. Do make sure she is getting enough calcium, properly balanced with phosphorus (the ratio numbers are posted somewhere online - I know they're in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks). Watch her - if she is bobbing her tail up and down she may be egg bound. If she seems lethargic, or walks stiff-legged, anything out of the ordinary, she needs help.
