The Duck Thread

[Miss Lydia]

Okay I have a problem with my ducks. I have a mallard hen, blue runners, pekings, and other various breeds. Most all of my females are laying eggs. They are cooped up at night to stay away from predators so that is where they are laying them. I have been checking the nest daily and so far they have laid 4 directly in the nest they made and sprouted some other ones around in random places. Yesterday evening I took some fresh hay and just spread it around close to the nest. This morning when I went to check for eggs they have taken one out of the nest and laid two more beside it where they drug the other one out. Is this because they don't want the nest anymore since I laid fresh hay in there? Any advice would be appreciated.

It's hard to say what might be going on. It could be one laid an egg another came in and dug out an egg if you have a game camera you might set it up so you can see who is doing what.

Mine love it when I add fresh shaving they will incorporate it into an already made nest and sometimes they won't.

@DuckLady256 Welcome to BYC.

 

[gander007]

Question on feed for ducks, please. I have 5 hens (2 1.5 years old, 3 6 months) no one is laying at this time. The young ones haven't started laying yet the others stopped for molting and haven't started up again.

I am feeding them Purina flock raiser crumbles with calcium chips added. Can I change them over to the layer pellets with the calcium added? I am having a lot of waste with the crumbles, someone suggested that I go to the pellets. The bag of pellets doesn't say that you can use it with ducks like the crumbles does, so I wasn't sure. I also add a handful of scratch to their feed as a "treat".

Thanks for any information!
Mandy

Keep your ducks safe and calm and you will get some eggs from them but on the other hand if you have dogs or other animals brothering them you wont get a lot of eggs if any at all.. Your feed is great and giving the ladys some laying crumble or pellets as it is all the same would be getting on the right road . Here try this as I do it for my geese and ducks alright I cook their feed on low heat in the kitchen in a big pan all day or over night just figure out what works best for you, put all the feed in pan and add water just enough to cover the feed and cook till it looks cooked just don't burn it this way the ducks will be able to take in all the nutrients but do not cook the laying pellets or crumble . I even use rice in the food and it needs to be cooked all the way and mix in flock raiser or scratch either on works .. The rice I purchase in 50 pound bags as it is cheaper ..... I have been raising ducks, chickens, geese, and other animals for over 40 years and yes I have been living in Death Valley for some 15 years and my animals thrive here also .










gander007

 

[GOTchickens1978]

I have 4 Barred Rock pullets. Now I want some ducks. Would it be a bad idea to only get one duck? Or should there be at least two?

 

[ShrekDawg]

From what I've seen here there are some ducks that get along great with chickens and vice versa and even some duck/chicken best friends and of course solo house ducks/chickens but realistically it's probably best to get at least two. Plus most hatcheries won't sell less than two or three anyways, same with most stores, some the min is 6. But I'll let someone with actual experience weigh in. But ducks, just like chickens and most birds, are flock animals and are happiest with a flock

 

[GOTchickens1978]

Ok thank you

 

[ShrekDawg]

Ok thank you

No problem!

 

[Ren2014]

I have 4 Barred Rock pullets. Now I want some ducks. Would it be a bad idea to only get one duck? Or should there be at least two?

Getting just one duck is not recommended. Ducks are social animals and a baby duck needs companionship. If there is no companion they will cry and scream for some company. It's in their nature to belong to a flock. I always say three at least. (just in case something happens to one of them, there will always be two that have each other.)

 

[Lynn Manes]

So our oldest duck is a black swedish. She is 20 weeks old now and I'm wondering when do they usually start laying? Also is there a time they stop laying eggs? She hasn't started yet so I'm wondering when and if we will this year. Thanks.

My black Swedish hatched the last week of March last year, started laying the first week of September. She laid darn near every day, and all thru winter, until I let her start a nest in May. She quit laying when she got to 15 eggs. They hatched June 6th, and she started laying again August 27th, and I've gotten an egg every day since!

I have Welch Harlequins. My hens go months without laying. When I first bought my 2 young hens & 1 drake,they were adults,and once they finally started laying,not long after, both went broody together laying over 40 eggs. I had no experience with ducks,but thought it would be cool to just let them go broody and hatch the eggs. Out of all those eggs, they pushed all but 4 from the nest, which hatched 3 living. My.matriarch hen, a kind of funny &a wee bit crazy, became Mom to the 3 duckling s-2 drake, 1 hen.It was literally months and months before they older girls finally started laying again. Both did fine,then my matriarch hen seemed to only lay,but still an egg a day. Her hen daughter has never laid an egg,and Neurotica's suster never laid again either. But all six were a vet close knit family. This past Fall we strongly believe someone stole our matriarch, Neurotica. She was here the night I put them in their pen, but the following day, while we were away, she disappeared.We don't live on a very large property,and their little free roam space is not big enough for any of them to take flight.I feel also that as close as they all were that if one would have been able to take flight, the rest would have followed. We never have had predators in our yard & there was no sign of any taking her anyway. I was devastated. This happened right before Thanksgiving, so putting 2+2 together, I'm pretty sure I know who took her, but can't prove it. Her sister& her only daughter have not given us one egg since. So, I'm holding out til Spring to see if one or both will start laying again. Neurotica's sudden disappearance visually upset the small family dynamics the six ducks shared. I don't know if short laying periods are common with WH's or not,& we live in south central CA, and it never snows here. Our winters are fairly mild.Maybe someone much more knowledgeable than me could help you according to the breed to have. Wishing you all the best

 

[DuckLady256]

It's hard to say what might be going on. It could be one laid an egg another came in and dug out an egg if you have a game camera you might set it up so you can see who is doing what. 

Mine love it when I add fresh shaving they will incorporate it into an already made nest and sometimes they won't.

@DuckLady256
  Welcome to BYC. 

Yeah that is a great idea I will have to set one up!

 

[NathanZee]

I made a article with a picture and brief description of each of my ducks. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/our-lovely-ducks