How many duck eggs did you get today?

[SwampQueenChick]

For the whole week, I got 1 chicken egg. Most of the chickens are in molt or finishing up. Even some of the ducks are still in molt. They better hurry up and finish winter is coming fast.

Several of mine are molting as well. I've never understood why it happens so close to winter

 

[SwampQueenChick]

You got it!

My Welshie, Marmalade, started laying internally. I caught it pretty early because I noticed she wasn't walking quite as briskly as her sisters and saw that her abdomen was distended. I took her to the vet who drained a bunch of egg material from her. Fortunately, there was no sign of infection.

The vet said that she needed antibiotics to keep infection from setting in and either surgery to spay her, the hormone implants, or , if I didn't want to pursue the other options, euthanasia. Euthanasia was off the table if there were viable options available. The surgery is super risky. So I opted for the implants. She required 2 because the implants are designed for house birds.

The vet injected one in each of Marmalade's "hips." Took about 5 minutes. The implants take about 2 weeks to fully stop the laying. I brought Marmalade in one more time to drain any remaining fluid. And she's been great ever since! She will need implants every 6 months. It's about $500 a pop, but I'm ok with that, especially because Marmalade made a 100% recovery after such a simple procedure.

Edited to add Marmalade:
View attachment 3306541

Thanks for sharing her story! That is truly amazing. It's so fascinating to have the technology that is available now.
Marmalade is a beauty btw

 

[Miss Lydia]

The first 18 months of my Runner and Buffs lives from 4.5 months on until 18 months they were egg laying machines and all the way through winter. Up until 2 yrs ago when they stopped laying over winter. They are 6.5 yrs old now. Now they stop in Oct and start back in March and April.

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

none! I don't have ducks

 

[DukesDucks]

During the summer months I usually get 8 eggs a day from 8 ducks. This usually slows to no eggs by this time of year. I told my egg buyers we were done until spring but then we had an unusual heat spell for a week. More eggs - argh - honestly I'm done with eggs until next spring.

 

[ruthhope]

All they all together? Just curious how they get along with one another.

Yes 5 drakes all together. They have changing allegiances. All is well when they ate out foraging during the day but sometimes there are disputes in the coop. I use dog crates in the coop to separate

out either one(s) that get picked on or ones that are doing the picking on!! At the moment, I have an often aggressive muscovy sleeping in a crate and my big soft lump of a muscovy who is in a big molt and out of sorts, sleeping on top of the dog crate (I have the plastic tray from inside the dog crate on the top with pine shavings in it.) The boy on the top comes to the coop when all the other boys are already inside and I lift him up out of the reach of the three pekins. I also have a 6" cardboard barrier made from a box to stop the pekins reaching up and pecking at him. They are really taking advantage of his molt to bully him when only 4 weeks ago they were best buddies following him. around or being followed by him

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

I'm getting 10-11 a day from the 13 layers.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I am still getting my usual 5 eggs from my 5 layers
My other 6 girls are only 4 months so not at laying age yet
My pekin laid all through winter last year Minus when she sat for 30 days on her eggs then another week off after that
She has been a machine and I really hope she takes a break this winter
@DuckyDonna showed me a video of how to properly store eggs for a year
This way you can get through the slow winter months and still have plenty of eggs to eat

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thanks for sharing her story! That is truly amazing. It's so fascinating to have the technology that is available now.
Marmalade is a beauty btw

Thanks! She is very pretty, especially for a hatchery duck (imo).

 

[SwampQueenChick]

I was sure I had at least one female… apparently it was a drake no eggs

(I don’t really like eggs that much so it’s not much of a bad thing lol. I also don’t have to deal with the extra calcium or it getting egg bound)

We thought we had 2 females, now we are pretty sure 1 of them is a drake