Welsh harlequin layed two eggs this morning

[Ducklin Ducklin]

My two females have each been laying one egg a day for a couple months and suddenly I'm getting only one a day. I can't tell if they are taking turns or one has quit laying. This morning I went out and found this in the coop. I assume they both came out of the same duck but not sure. Is it any sign of danger?

 

[Ducklin Ducklin]

Today I got two eggs that look just like yesterday's, one big one very small. Today though they were in different places leading me to believe that one of my ducks has started to lay these tiny baby eggs. I don't know if this is a sign of egg binding or some nutritional issue. My ducks free range in my backyard and seem to get plenty of bugs plus feed in the evening and kitchen scraps and eggshells. Please help if you know anything about this. I have been researching but haven't found anything yet to solve my mystery.

 

[KARy408]

Hmm...I would tend to think you're now getting 2/day from one duck; the smaller one being sort of the "runt" from the extra effort. But that wouldn't explain why you're suddenly getting less eggs.

Could one of your girls just be a better layer? 2 of mine are still laying regularly, but my other 2 girls are showing early signs of the molt, leading me to believe they just aren't as productive as the other two. Could this be happening with your birds?

WH are not year round layers, correct? So perhaps they are just nearing the end of the season? Has the temp dropped off in your location? Are the days noticeably waning? If so, and you're not supplementing light in your coop at night, this could also explain the drop off in egg production.

I'm not an expert in duck ailments, but if your girls are still acting normal throughout the day, then I wouldn't worry too much. Some ducks start off with a bang in egg production and then taper off as their bodies become more regulated and comfortable with the experience.

 

[Ducklin Ducklin]

Thanks for the advice. It makes sense that it would be one duck doing both eggs, but I don't know why my other one would have stopped laying. I live in Oklahoma where the weather is always strange but we do seem to be getting the signs of an early fall. It has been a fairly mild summer and we are already feeling the cooler breezes of autumn. I am noticing lots of feathers in the yard, I guess I didn't know they would molt in the fall too. I am only in my second summer of having ducks, so I'm still pretty new at this, but I just think they are the coolest creatures!