No eggs from 7 month old ducks

[George678]

Hi , my Aylesbury ducks are almost 7 months old now and haven’t laid any eggs yet . Is this because they were born later in the year and it takes longer? or is it because of the cold weather and less daylight? Thanks

 

[orelsi]

Ducks start laying at 6 - 8 months in my experience, so it's not abnormal.

Cold weather can mess with their natural cycle. I've had hens start laying at 8+ months, because they were hatched at a weird time and the winter came before they could start laying.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

As @orelsi observed above, Pekins tend to be late to lay. Mine were 8 months solid when they started laying as well. Declining light levels will also shift start of lay (typically). I had purchased mine in early April, they started laying early January.

Additionally, and this may just be me and my source for Pekins - after the first 16 months of lay, their rate of production droped WAY off. So much so that I plan to cull all of them for sausage, and will not be raising ducks again. Much as I like duck eggs, the math doesn't work on a sustainability basis. I can live without.

I hope you have much better luck with yours than I have had with mine.

 

[NDCGrove]

In January, you need to supplement light to encourage mating. Poultry will seasonally increase and decrease egg laying based on light.

Solution:
Buy a full spectrum LED rope light from Amazon, set the light to red which is scientifically known to induce mating, and make sure it's extending daylight time from 6 am to 9 am in the morning and then from 5 pm to 9 pm everyday. You can grab a programmable outlet to automate the light cycle and to save energy.

Green light also helps increase egg production, not as much, but additionally calms a bird.

For light intensity and to make this practical...grab a kids book. Dr Suess is what I used. If you can read words from a sitting position with the book on your lap, it's sufficient light intensity. If you can't, increase light or get someone with better eyes.