Normal Duck moulting time period?

[Kholts]

So many conflicting info about how long a duck moult will last.

How many weeks in your experience did your ducks take a break in laying while moulting?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Each duck is different some lay through molts and some do not. Also each molt length is different. My ducks lay all year round except if we have a couple weeks below zero so when I notice mine start molting I bump up their protein %.

 

[Quatie]

I agree. Domestic ducks molt at all different times. They can do a hard molt or a soft molt. A hard molt goes faster and is more noticable, because they drop all their feathers in a short period of time. A soft molt is sometimes hard to even tell if they are molting, because it happens more gradually.

They usually molt their wing feathers during the fall. Again usually. Drakes will molt into their eclipse plumage during the summer and again in the winter into their nuptial plumage. Females will also molt breast feathers, mostly the down, in the spring and summer for nesting. Last year I had one molt around July and the last one molted around November. Also one never molted at all last year, which is something I worry about because she has not stopped laying. All my other ducks stop laying when they molt and some will pick again after they are done molting.

 

[Kholts]

Each duck is different some lay through molts and some do not. Also each molt length is different. My ducks lay all year round except if we have a couple weeks below zero so when I notice mine start molting I bump up their protein %.

I did up there protein as soon as they started to decline in production & I noticed a whole lot of feathers in the coop.

We are coming up on 9 weeks of no eggs in prime hatching season.

They usually molt their wing feathers during the fall. Again usually. Drakes will molt into their eclipse plumage during the summer and again in the winter into their nuptial plumage. Females will also molt breast feathers, mostly the down, in the spring and summer for nesting. Last year I had one molt around July and the last one molted around November. Also one never molted at all last year, which is something I worry about because she has not stopped laying. All my other ducks stop laying when they molt and some will pick again after they are done molti

It was a pretty big moult. My yard & coop was looking like a murder scene. Going on 9 weeks of no eggs. My drake is doing his job though.

 

[Quatie]

I did up there protein as soon as they started to decline in production & I noticed a whole lot of feathers in the coop.

We are coming up on 9 weeks of no eggs in prime hatching season.


It was a pretty big moult. My yard & coop was looking like a murder scene. Going on 9 weeks of no eggs. My drake is doing his job though.

Are you sure there are no hidden eggs? Ducks love to hide their eggs, especially during this time of year.

 

[Kholts]

Nope no hiding eggs.

Funny enough I had 2 eggs sitting in their straw area waiting this morning.