Why no duck eggs?

[meckler]

I have 6 ducks: 2 Swedish, 2 Cayuga and 2 Welsh Harlequin. My girls started laying in the spring, and I was getting about 4-6 eggs per day in their hut. It was late in Fall when all changed... they started to molt and one girl went broody on a nest she made near my deck! She was sitting on a few duck eggs and even a chicken egg! After that day, we had some harsh PA weather and I haven't gotten an egg since! I checked everywhere to see if they were laying outside, but even on days where they were in the run/hut all day, I got no eggs! Do ducks stop laying in winter like chickens... and for how long? Do you think they're laying somewhere else and not laying when they are cooped up? I'm frustrated because I bought the ducks to make up for the chickens taking a break!

 

[chickens really]

Yep.....Once spring hits they will start breeding and laying eggs........

Cheers!

 

[dotknott]

They don't always lay through the winter, but if they do they are likely to be less than 3yrs old. Broody hens usually won't start laying again right after her hatch. For some it's a few weeks, for me it was 5 months.

 

[TLWR]

Mine take a long break after molting before they lay again.

 

[GoldenFlight]

You could add lighting and that should help them lay.

 

[dotknott]

You could add lighting and that should help them lay.

In my experience photo period doesn't do anything to induce post broody egg production. If it did ducks gone broody in the spring don't start laying again until fall, which is when natural photoperiod is shrinking.

I don't know what the biological mechanism is for it, but post-broody ducks seem to be a bit different in my experience from regular production birds.

 

[GoldenFlight]

In my experience photo period doesn't do anything to induce post broody egg production. If it did ducks gone broody in the spring don't start laying again until fall, which is when natural photoperiod is shrinking.

I don't know what the biological mechanism is for it, but post-broody ducks seem to be a bit different in my experience from regular production birds.

Our hen always go's broody, raises her ducklings, and then molts, but she never waited that long to start laying again because she raised two batch's last spring and summer.

I think lighting does help any duck to start laying again.

 

[dotknott]

Our hen always go's broody, raises her ducklings, and then molts, but she never waited that long to start laying again because she raised two batch's last spring and summer. 

I think lighting does help any duck to start laying again.

Hen or duck? That's interesting, I've not had that experience even though I have a light in the coop for supplemental lighting year round.

 

[GoldenFlight]

Hen or duck? That's interesting, I've not had that experience even though I have a light in the coop for supplemental lighting year round.

A duck hen.

 

[meckler]

We did add lighting to the chicken coop where they stay on cold nights. It has helped the chickens, but the ducks haven't changed.