Something I have found from my runner flock and what I read on the Duck Forum, is there is quite a bit of variation in how ducks respond to any number of things, like light, heat, cold, change in feed, nutrient deficiencies, and on and on.
How quickly did you change their feeding routine? If you made the switch overnight, the change may have interrupted their laying.
And you are right to point out that other changes are going on that may be involved, too. Last year I thought my runners were slowing way down on eggs due to less light. But then I moved them into a warmer place, without much more light if any, and within days, they were laying more eggs.
Perhaps it was a coincidence. It is nearly impossible to keep everything in their lives the same and just change one thing, since the weather and daylength and even their age are constantly changing.
Storey`s Guide to Raising Ducks gives instructions for how to force a molt, and the first step is to withhold food. In the book, I think they say to withhold it for a day or more (just don't have the book at hand right now) at the beginning of the process. So maybe your ducks, if they were changed rapidly (and this may be relative) are just sensitive to a change in feeding routine.
Do you have poultry vitamins? Regardless of the reason for the egg slowdown, that might be a real boost to their little systems so they can get back on track.
How quickly did you change their feeding routine? If you made the switch overnight, the change may have interrupted their laying.
And you are right to point out that other changes are going on that may be involved, too. Last year I thought my runners were slowing way down on eggs due to less light. But then I moved them into a warmer place, without much more light if any, and within days, they were laying more eggs.
Perhaps it was a coincidence. It is nearly impossible to keep everything in their lives the same and just change one thing, since the weather and daylength and even their age are constantly changing.
Storey`s Guide to Raising Ducks gives instructions for how to force a molt, and the first step is to withhold food. In the book, I think they say to withhold it for a day or more (just don't have the book at hand right now) at the beginning of the process. So maybe your ducks, if they were changed rapidly (and this may be relative) are just sensitive to a change in feeding routine.
Do you have poultry vitamins? Regardless of the reason for the egg slowdown, that might be a real boost to their little systems so they can get back on track.
