Why won't they LAY!?!

[chickensducks&agoose]

Quote:
WHAT? My mama ducks will NEVER lay eggs again? Or just for a season? Now I'm panicking.. the swedes are such good mothers!!!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

No panic! She just meant they stop for the season. Nature wants them to reproduce every year.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Lol,
Yep, just for that season, if done early, some will do a late season clutch again, but we always pull ours to get the most production out of them every year.
Aubrey

 

[TrystInn]

All 17 of mine are laying year round. Up the protein in their feed to 20% and make sure they have lighting - ours have LED holiday lights around their pen all night.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
All depends on the breed many dont

 

[janastasio]

My ducks are not laying much this year. Last year they were more consistent, this year I'm not getting anything. I have 4 larger female ducks. They do tend to hide their eggs. I will be cleaning out the coop and uncover a HUGE nest of eggs. Stinkers! I keep a 60 watt bulb in my coop year round. My chickens are picking up the slack and laying regularly, thank goodness

 

[TrystInn]

Boggy,

I've got Khaki Campbells, Rouens, Runners, Swedish (Black, Blue and Silver), Magpies and Chocolate Anconas and they are all laying.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Wow,
That's great! Artifical light? or are they just doing it naturally. I dont do the artifical thing as it can weaken the birds by over loading them and not giving them their natural break can rob thier bodies of calcium. But if they are all doing it o natural, that's great.
All mine I have ever had, are usually Feb- Oct, especially cayugas, call, mallard, sovies, and such as that, there are a handful that do lay year round though....

 

[JStark]

My three welshies give me three eggs every morning, like clockwork.

Are your birds in a largely stress-free environment? With so many layers, it seems odd to me that you don't get even one egg every two days or so.

 

[TrystInn]

Jstark,

I would adore some Welshies, that's my plan for the Spring - Welshies and Appleyards!

Moshy,

Ours are in an outdoor pen at night, with a bit of LED lighting under the roofing to keep raptors from bothering them. Otherwise they are naturally lit but for a blue bug zapper to attract bugs for them to eat! Our chickens have a small infared heat lamp to keep them calm and warm in the coop at night.