My duck started laying eggs at 4 months old

[Little Cute Lily]

Hello! You can skip to the end of this paragraph for my two questions. Here is the background information. So I have a Khaki Campbell duck who I call Alfalfa. She laid her first egg at 4 months old. Is this normal? Every article I read says khakis start laying at 5-7 months old. She has been laying one egg a day. Because she's a house pet duck, her nesting box is a DIY I made out of a cardboard box, shavings, a cheap wig, and an old sweater. (Believe it or not, she grew quite fond of being in the corner of my closet. So I made the nest there) Her first egg she laid on the wig (and some poop). I took the egg to refrigerate it but I noticed afterwards she flipped over the wig. I got worried she thought she lost her egg so I put it back. She keeps the one egg under the wig and all other eggs she lays on the shavings. (I let her have two eggs and the rest I take to eat) the rest of her eggs have come out quite clean and the shell seems to be getting better every time.
TL;DR Khaki Campbell duck laid her first egg at 4 months old. I wasn't expecting her to lay so soon so any advice on what extra nutrients and foods to give is greatly appreciated! Also do the eggs look healthy?

 

[m1chelle1]

You can give her a calcium supplement to help keep her eggshells hard and healthy (oyster shell and/or vitamins w/calcium). The eggs look fine. If she is possessive of the eggs and likes to keep one with her, what some people do is buy their girls fake eggs, and just swap out the real with the fake. Its also ok that she started laying so young. Shes just an early layer, and her time came quickly. Make sure she is on a good duck feed and she should be alright. Congrats on your first eggs

 

[Crazy Maizie]

The eggs look fine. I'm sure there is a range of ages for ducks to lay. The 5 month mark is just average. She's got a pretty comfortable set up and that might play into her laying early. One thing, I wouldn't leave the initial egg for very long, they can go bad and a bad egg ....
If she needs an egg, you can get the fake ones they sell at places like tsc to encourage nesting. Or leave an egg, but a fresh one and replace as you get a new one.

 

[m1chelle1]

one more thing, unless youre washing the eggs, they dont need to be refrigerated. Eggs have a natural clear protective coating that will keep them fresh on the shelf (room temp) for about one month. I usually take my eggs from the nesting box and have a spot on my counter they are stored, until i go to eat them, then i wash them with warm water (prior to eating, and use them as normal after that. If you are washing them right away, then yes, they do need to be refrigerated after washing.

 

[Little Cute Lily]

You can give her a calcium supplement to help keep her eggshells hard and healthy (oyster shell and/or vitamins w/calcium). The eggs look fine. If she is possessive of the eggs and likes to keep one with her, what some people do is buy their girls fake eggs, and just swap out the real with the fake. Its also ok that she started laying so young. Shes just an early layer, and her time came quickly. Make sure she is on a good duck feed and she should be alright. Congrats on your first eggs

Thank you very much! I have her on the Purina duck feed along with corn and peas for treats. I'll look into calcium supplements

 

[Little Cute Lily]

one more thing, unless youre washing the eggs, they dont need to be refrigerated. Eggs have a natural clear protective coating that will keep them fresh on the shelf (room temp) for about one month. I usually take my eggs from the nesting box and have a spot on my counter they are stored, until i go to eat them, then i wash them with warm water (prior to eating, and use them as normal after that. If you are washing them right away, then yes, they do need to be refrigerated after washing.

Oh wow I never knew that! I have been washing them and refrigerating. Thank you for the tip!

 

[Little Cute Lily]

The eggs look fine. I'm sure there is a range of ages for ducks to lay. The 5 month mark is just average. She's got a pretty comfortable set up and that might play into her laying early. One thing, I wouldn't leave the initial egg for very long, they can go bad and a bad egg ....
If she needs an egg, you can get the fake ones they sell at places like tsc to encourage nesting. Or leave an egg, but a fresh one and replace as you get a new one.

Thank you for the help! I'll buy a few fake eggs. And yes a spoiled egg would be very bad