When do Pekins begin to lay? UPDATE!

[Sunny Side Up]

On average, when do Pekin ducks begin to lay? My Khakis started before 20 weeks, but they're bred for laying. When can we begin to expect eggs from our Pekins? Right now they're 18 weeks old. Will they lay overnight in their duck house like the Khakis do? How frequently will they lay?

I'm especially anxious to see eggs from these Pekins because I sexed them myself when I bought them from the feed store, and I want to be certain I picked 2 females like I wanted. They both make the same type of sound, a quack not a huff, and neither has curly tail feathers. But seeing 2 eggs in their house would help me know for certain.

Thank you for your imput!

Update in post #8

 

[horsejody]

I was wondering this myself.

 

[headred]

My pekin just layed her first a couple of days ago! She is about 22 weeks. I just posted about some weird eggs I got today. One is without a shell!! The pekin eggs have been small also. I HATE waiting for those first eggs! Mine is also a honker and no curly tail. I have been pretty sure she was female even without the eggs! Your should be coming soon.

 

[ladycrotalus]

Quote:
Cool, so in 2 or 3 more weeks my pekins should start laying.

 

[smfamf]

Well I hate to brag . .

but my pekin started laying at about 18 weeks. It shouldn't be too long before yours' start laying.

 

[helkat]

Ours (one of them at least) just started laying about a week ago. They were hatched right around April 1st.

 

[duckface]

They were hatched right around April 1st.

Mine, too, and she laid her first egg today!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

There has been just ONE egg per day in the Pekin house since they turned 20 weeks of age. I didn't know if they were taking turns laying the daily egg or if just one was laying. We've been waiting with interest for the day we'd find two eggs, so we would know for certain that both Pekins were girls.

Even though they both look & sound the same they've been causing me concern because every so often one of them would mount the other in the pool. I didn't know if that meant the one on top was a slow-maturing male or if it were a confused female without sufficient girly hormones for her to produce eggs.

But now that they're 25 weeks old they're both laying eggs overnight every time.

Hooray for Latex & Vinyl, our "rubber ducks"!

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

my kc's and pekin are 21 1/2 weeks.. and no eggs... what am i doing wrong?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

chickensducks&agoose :

... what am i doing wrong?

Read your signature line

count your blessings, not your eggs! But really, just give them good care & lots of love, they should be laying "soon". Where do they spend the night? Mine sleep in their own little duck houses, some are plastic dog houses or crates, some are dirt-floored. They lay their eggs in the houses sometime between nightfall & morning.

The dirt-floored houses have a layer of mulch in them, sometimes I have to poke around in the mulch to find the eggs buried there. I have a 4' piece of PVC that I cut & shaped one end like a spoon, that's my Egg Stick. I can poke around in the mulch & pull the eggs out with it.

I have a theory that hens who begin laying at a young age wear out sooner than those who begin later. I don't know if that's true, but I comfort myself with that thought when I have hens who wait a long time to begin laying.​