One of my ducks are laying eggs without mating. There could be other, more unusual causes, such as being a hermaphrodite or something weird, but you should rule out all the usual causes first. Rouen ducks start breeding at six months old and the females start laying eggs when they are around 25-30 weeks old. If you do get a breed that is likely to sit on eggs, or if your Runner is one of the few individuals who is willing to go broody (I think its much more likely for the Runner to sit than the white layer), then she will lay a full clutch before going broody. A duck can also occasionally lay in the afternoon or even evening. Your email address will not be published. The hen will lay an average of 9 eggs which will hatch within 28 days . She sits on her nest of eggs for only a few minutes at a time, and is found wandering the property foraging majority of the day. Some will lay their egg within 10-15 minutes of entering the nest box. Im not exactly sure what you mean, but I figure your ducks arent much different from normal ducks, so they will probably start laying anywhere from 4-7 months of age. Ducks do certain things before laying eggs, and before they hatch. The average clutch size is around five to ten white eggs, which hatch in around four weeks (if the hen does not accidentally crush them first). However, some ducks like of this breed have been known to lay up to 160 of them a year (the Ancona ducks for example can lay . It may or may not be normal. Not a single one has produced an egg. You wont have to erect tall fences or worry about them wandering off. Ducks can see at night but not as good as in the light. Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. What duck breed lays blue eggs? Should I move them or let them be? $35.99 + $16.99 shipping. These ducks have a slimmer, sleeker appearance and are more upright in posture. Make sure you get Rouen Ducks that are listed as Production Rouens if you want them for meat. Ducks usually start laying again 3-4 months after having ducklings, so I would guess your duck will start laying soon. If those eggs arent good anymore and she never gets broody enough to set her eggs, will she continue laying eggs daily or take a break? If you plan on raising ducks for meat for your small farm or homestead, you wont find a better option than the Rouen duck. Unwashed, unrefrigerated eggs should last at least two weeks. It could be just a teenage thing that has to do with their maturing. For more information, read our, Duck Housing: Everything You Need to Consider, Free-Ranging Ducks 101: Everything You Need to Know, Duck Eggs and Egglaying: 20 Things You Need to Know, Why arent my ducks laying eggs? Ive never heard anyone talk about it before, but I have noticed that too with my own duck eggs, so its not just you. While they do lay eggs, they are not known to be a substantial layer. If there are 13 eggs, then the oldest egg is at least 13 days old. The Ducklings Hatched and Left 5. Also, try to minimize nesting areas in your ducks' yard. You do not need to heat their housing. They were included by the American Poultry Association in the Standard of Perfection a couple of decades later and now are the most popular ducks among the other heavyweight breeds. You should refrain from using slug pellets, pesticides, or other chemical applications in your garden. However, you wont be allowing the bird to grow to its largest potential size. If eggs are your only priority, you might consider Indian Runners, Khaki Campbells, Silver Appleyards, Anconas, or Welsh Harlequins instead, all of which not only lay far more than Pekins, but are also better foragers and have lower feed consumption levels than Pekins. Bailey is very interested in my 9 week old females. Some people get worried when they notice their ducks spending an hour or more in their nest box before laying their egg. Then inside that is the egg yolk with a separate layer of white around it. It is Dumor. Read more here: https://www.raising-ducks.com/10-best-duck-breeds-for-eggs/. Rouens tend to be quiet, not making much of a fuss about anything. While most people refer to these ducks now as Rouen ducks, in France, there are two names Rouen Fonce, which is dark in color, and Rouen Clair, a lighter variant. They dont go bad that fast. How do female ducks act before laying eggs? Raising Ducks 3 12. So if her eggs are normal size (at least 70 grams or 2.5 ounces, I thinkI dont have Pekins), you have a plan for the babies, and she actually does go broody, then go ahead and let her keep the eggs. What are you feeding them? Maybe you already have the cheapest option. Youll want to have commercial duck food pellets on hand for these hungry little ducks, too. By the time the ducklings are 3-5 weeks old, weather-dependent, they can spend warm, sunny days outside, carefully supervised and protected from predators. I have a few hybrid commercial laying chickens (equivalent to your hybrid white layers) and I know they will never go broody in their life. If youre new to raising ducks or perhaps want to add on to your existing flock with a new, fun-loving breed you may want to consider the Rouen duck breed. Rouen ducks start breeding at six months old and the females start laying eggs when they are around 25-30 weeks old. But most of those are Muscovies, which almost never lay in winter. JavaScript is disabled. Please put " Fresh Eggs " in email title due to spam. Ducks lay on average one egg every second day. Please dont breed unless you know what youll do with the babies, especially the drakes. Ive already written an article on how to sex muscovy ducks: http://www.raising-ducks.com/determining-muscovy-gender/ By three months old, it should actually be fairly easy to tell the males and females apart. They lay eggs consistently throughout the year but might destroy them. First, their beauty! Foxes have stolen quite a few of our eggs, too. To anyone thinking of getting one of those cute little coops. Adult Rouens are much larger than Mallards as well. They have been bred by poultry enthusiasts all over the world as the ultimate show duck since its inception into the APA in 1874. Production Rouens have, however, been shown to be better egg layers with 140 to 180 eggs annually. Is she kept in a dark barn or other dark area often? I have 3 female ducks and they have been sitting on eggs since may 26th I know this is to long. If she does go broody, then yes, she will incubate the eggs and take care of the babies once they hatch. However, it varies, of course. How to Identify the Male & Female of the Rouen Duck. They dont always go broody. If shes always pecking and chasing the chicks or blocking them from eating, perhaps they need more space. Males will have a green head with a white collar, a grey body, and have black tail feathers. If you do want to hatch the eggs, then I would recommend candling the eggs to make sure theyre developing. Occasionally, male Rouen duck can be a bit aggressive. They are not good fliers since they are so large. My 4 Silver Appleyard ducklings (all females) hatched October 1, 2018. Ducks only go broody and stay sitting on the eggs after theyve finished laying the clutch. I have girls that are four years old and have only been broody two or three times in their entire lives. Im not even there yet myself. Pretty much any duck or chicken person will tell you this. Most other Pekins lay around 200 eggs a year. Am I doing something wrong? If she brings her ducklings to your yard, Id recommend either not feeding them or only feeding them very small amounts until theyre a few weeks old, and even then, make sure they dont start to rely on you for food. Does she have a companion, though? However, they'll sometimes surprise you by laying eggs that have a slight blue or green hue. If you use artificial light to artificially extend the length of the day (which is often done to keep ducks laying all winter), then they are more likely to start laying earlier, when they reach maturity, instead of at the onset of breeding season. They are currently separate but he lays next to their gate all day)? They lay eggs consistently throughout the year but might destroy them. Do people really find it worth it to do this even if youre not selling them at market? Their shell is thicker than chicken eggs, so have a longer shelf life. Runner ducks lay an egg color that is somewhere between white and blue-green. Also, if youd like to know what breed she is, you can send me a picture and I can attempt to figure it out. You can also check the color of the beaks. There is an outer layer of egg white thats attached to the inside of the shell thats about 1/16 1/8 thick. What is going on with the egg laying & what seems like mating with the ducklings? Many people assume that duck and chicken size will correspond with egg size, but interestingly, some dual-purpose duck breeds (like Anacondas) lay eggs that are much larger than you would expect for the duck's size. After theyre a week old, hatchability goes down quickly. Or maybe theres a trick to cooking and peeling hard-boiled eggs that I dont know? Description. Female Rouen Ducks tend to be a beautiful shade of mahogany, with brown crowns and tan eye stripes that extend from the back of the eyes and down the bill. Really? If she decides to surprise you and go broody anyway, you can always give the eggs back (assuming you havent already eaten them all). Do you mean that the Ameracaunas and guinea hen are in with the ducklings, or with the other adult ducks? Why is it worth it? What Time of The Day Do Ducks Lay Eggs? Hello! He was chasing the ducklings & pulling their feathers. let CurrentYear = new Date().getFullYear() They lay in clutches of about 10-22 eggs about four times a year. Ducks reach "eggopause" and stop laying eggs when they're 5-10 years old. Maybe shell finally decide to nest at some point (it might help if you ensure she has access to a nice, tempting nest), but its unlikely. I bought them not knowing the sex and I am still trying to determine their sex. Runners normally start laying around five or six months of age, so she should have started about seven months ago. Its funny what a huge effect the weather has on their laying. 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