Until the ducks are fully feathered around 7-9 weeks old, they have trouble regulating their body temperature and need heat. To give you an idea of how unpredictable the egg-laying is for the Rouen Duck, the minimum number of eggs they should be laying each year will be around the 35 egg mark. Most ducks slow down or stop laying during winter, but some will lay throughout winter. They are vigorous and healthy. 4. One of my female Rouen ducks finally laid an egg this morning but it was cold and she will not sit on it. I have 2 ducks and 1 drake of khaki Campbell breed which are 10 months old and my ducks havent layed eggs till now!!! Well, the coldness probably wont be an issue (some broody ducks hatch in winter as far north as Wisconsin), but you should probably take her eggs anyway. They lay eggs consistently throughout the year but might destroy them. They have been bred by poultry enthusiasts all over the world as the ultimate show duck since its inception into the APA in 1874. Rouen ducks start breeding at six months old and the females start laying eggs when they are around 25-30 weeks old. This is quite a low yield for the hens to be raised for eggs. When allowed to forage and free-range, these ducks are content and easy to care for. They also free range on bugs from sunrise to sunset. It would be safer to have several more females, or get rid of one drake. Once the nest is built, egg laying will begin from 1-3 days. Its important to watch out for Rouens that have overly developed keels. They are very funny, eat ticks, roam, get well at making friends with other critters and people. Some Muscovies go broody on every single clutch they lay. Refrigerated eggs last two months or more. a pair of wild Mallards are visiting our yard every day. One of my ducks are laying eggs without mating. Obesity is one other possible reason she might not be laying. I have two female rouen ducks and two males. Their shell is thicker than chicken eggs, so have a longer shelf life. Female Rouens also have distinct penciling patterns on many of the head, neck, body, wing, and tail feathers. Let me know if you have any other questions. They need a friend of their own kind. So what few eggs you do happen to get may not even make it to your dinner table. If you want eggs every day, youve got the right breeds. Ducks will lay even if theyre never mated. Im not exactly sure what you mean, but I figure your ducks arent much different from normal ducks, so they will probably start laying anywhere from 4-7 months of age. It may not display this or other websites correctly. I have a young Indian Runner female. Required fields are marked *. Duck eggs have a few differences from chicken eggs: Maybe. Not a single one has produced an egg. And broody ducks generally cant leave the nest for more than half an hour before their eggs die. Heres more on breeding and hatching eggs: Your email address will not be published. It may or may not be normal. Either way, dont worry, its not your fault, and it should pass. Score: 4.8/5 (73 votes) . However, you might be interested in reading this article, which gives 20 AWESOME ideas for how to reduce feed costs. And how would i round her up if I was to let the chicks and duck free range? Sorry for the late reply. If youre new to raising ducks or perhaps want to add on to your existing flock with a new, fun-loving breed you may want to consider the Rouen duck breed. do i need to separate those ducklings? It could be just a teenage thing that has to do with their maturing. The exact age rather depends on the breed of duck. If you do want to hatch the eggs, then I would recommend candling the eggs to make sure theyre developing. These eggs tend to be white but occasionally have green and blue tinting, so they are not plentiful in number while they are attractive. I have two female Indian Runners that are laying eggs. Some ducks lay around 4:30 AM. Most lay around 6 AM. Im really not sure why, but I have two guesses. Thank you for the reply. I wonder if its also possible that this happens to be the egg of a wild bird that accidentally laid there, or something along those lines. In general, highly productive layers such as the Khaki Campbell and Indian Runner will not use nest boxes, preferring to drop eggs in random places. Exhibition-typed Rouen ducks have been known to crush their eggs if allowed to set due to their massive frames. I ordered a batch of four ducklings, not hatching for the first time since our originals. Rouen Mallard duck eggs $20 a dozen Tolbunt Polish ( 1 frizzle and 1 straight feathers hen with a straight rooster) $15 a dozen Silkie (Mixture of colors but full . Yes, they are as safe as chicken eggs. As far as the cost of bedding, are you sure youve found the cheapest option? Rouen ducklings are easy to tell apart from Mallards, too, since they have a second stripe that runs across the face, just beneath the eye. These ducks arent the best layers around. They need to learn how to find their own food as soon as possible, while theyre still young, or they may never learn and could starve if they ever leave your place. . Unfortunately, Runners and white layers are among the best layers of all breeds, which means that they are very unlikely to go broody. She's actually a he. She sits on her nest of eggs for only a few minutes at a time, and is found wandering the property foraging majority of the day. Obviously, if you are raising Rouen ducks for meat, you arent going to let your ducks get much older than a year or so old! He was chasing the ducklings & pulling their feathers. There are fewer than 5,000 breeding birds in the United States. Females often crush the eggs by mistake. Am I doing something wrong? 15 Reasons, This site uses cookies. I appreciate any feedback that you could give us and I know that Lucy, Ethel and Desi will be appreciative too! Some will lay their egg within 10-15 minutes of entering the nest box. While they do lay eggs, they are not known to be a substantial layer. I have raised about 5 Ruenes, males & females. Eggs are usually good to eat for about six months since the date they were laid. So if her eggs are normal size (at least 70 grams or 2.5 ounces, I thinkI dont have Pekins), you have a plan for the babies, and she actually does go broody, then go ahead and let her keep the eggs. My Muscovies will often lay a dozen eggs before they go broody (and Ive had multiple 100% hatch rates with those, which shows that the 1-week mark is only a generalized mark and that eggs can still hatch even after theyve been laying around for twelve days!). The egg-laying season lasts for about 35-45 weeks. Another perk of the Campbell duck is that they're an extremely hardy breed, so you can raise them just about anywhere. Likely, it is an evolution of the name that occurred gradually over time. Im so sorry for your frustration and I really hope Ive given you some ideas for reducing the expenses! Please dont breed unless you know what youll do with the babies, especially the drakes. Let's stay updated! They are happy and healthy. Some ducks lay 25 eggs a year, others lay 340+ eggs a year. The average clutch size is around five to ten white eggs, which hatch in around four weeks (if the hen does not accidentally crush them first). So if your ducks are older than 28 weeks and havent yet started laying, you may have to wait until spring. However, one strain of Pekin, Cherry Valley, is purported to lay up to 300 eggs a year. Some strains, especially the ones bred for production, lay far more consistently and rarely take breaks, while other strains, usually the ones that are closer to their wild origins, only lay a few clutches in spring and then dont lay for the rest of the year. But after that long, and with a duck breed thats supposed to lay almost year round (although not all Runners are that good), I doubt thats the answer. Can 1 duck be raised with chickens? The chickens generally go on their own since their roost is in their night pen, but the ducks are a little less keen on going to bed. Of course, Rouen was the name that eventually stuck. Bantam duck eggs are usually 50-55 grams (1.8-1.9 oz), while Pekin eggs can weigh 100 grams or sometimes even more. They lay eggs consistently throughout the year but might destroy them. Are they safe to eat? There Are No Healthy and Fertile Eggs 2. And Khaki Campbell and Indian Runner ducks are very good for producing eggs. Some farmers choose to process their Rouen ducks for meat when they are about four to five and a half pounds, usually as early as four or five months old. Some ducks begin laying as early as 16 weeks. My ducks will lay a clutch, stop laying for a couple weeks, and then lay another clutch. 15 Reasons, This site uses cookies. Shes a friendly person who loves to chat with others, and shes always looking for ways to help out in her community. And its difficult to separate the eggshell from the outer egg white layer. So dont worry. The days are too short. The Mother Duck Is Dead How Many Eggs Does a Duck Lay in a Day? Good question! Where are those eggs? I raised a single orphaned muscovy duck, now she doesnt want me to handle her and doesnt trust me she is 3 and half mos. Ive already written an article on how to sex muscovy ducks: http://www.raising-ducks.com/determining-muscovy-gender/ By three months old, it should actually be fairly easy to tell the males and females apart. Others never go broody. If I plan to keep the eggs for food, how long out are they still good to eat? We have been breeding ours for years but our flock was taken out by a fox. As mentioned above, ducks lay anywhere from 8 to 15 eggs depending on the breed. Runners very rarely go broody, so its likely your Runners will never go broody in their entire lives. If eggs are your only priority, you might consider Indian Runners, Khaki Campbells, Silver Appleyards, Anconas, or Welsh Harlequins instead, all of which not only lay far more than Pekins, but are also better foragers and have lower feed consumption levels than Pekins. Muscovies and Mallards go broody easily, while Khaki Campbells and Runners almost never go broody. Its not going to hurt anything to touch the eggs. Theyre fun, but youre wondering when youll get the rewards of all the work and money youve put into them. Before you bring your Rouen ducks home, make sure you have a shelter that will protect these birds from the elements in the winter. Muscovies usually start laying when theyre about six months, or 25 weeks of age unless they reach this age during fall or winter. i bought a muscovy duck that already started laying. Its not the best idea to have two drakes and only one female, since they can overmate her and kill her. Ducks with strong legs are large in size. Males will develop thick heads, and after about 15 weeks, their green heads will begin to show. Ducks dont really know whether their eggs are fertile or not, so theyll gladly go broody on infertile eggs.). Also, if shes alone, shes lonely. They are not good fliers since they are so large. ALL the ducklings were spooked by the agressiveness of a large hybrid drake (several years of age someone had given to me last summer & the ONLY drake we own). Something is stealing the eggs. Rouen ducks will maintain a rate of 50% (in other words, if you have 50 hens, only 25 eggs are produced) for 5 months. Each Campbell duck can lay up to 340 eggs a year, making them one of the highest-producing ducks in the world. However, you wont be allowing the bird to grow to its largest potential size. However, if raised for exhibition purposes and given the best possible care, it is entirely likely that your Rouen ducks can live up to eight to twelve years. Other ducks lay in clutches. And the Mallard ducks are the ancestor of the Rouen duck, like most different duck breeds. Normally, broody ducks will return even if theyve been frightened, so I think maybe she wasnt even broody on them. Some ducks are gluttons, and obese ducks dont lay. After theyre a week old, hatchability goes down quickly. Hello! They're poor layers, producing only 35 to 125 eggs yearly but make fine roasting ducks and have abundant, delicately flavored flesh. Ducks will lay eggs and go broody even if there are no males aroundits just that the eggs wont be fertile. As waterfowl, they need water and require lots of space to walk around and forage on dry land. Most other Pekins lay around 200 eggs a year. They will lay every day for a series of days, usually five to twenty days, and then they will either go broody and stop laying, or simply stop laying without going broody. A fresh egg should have a bright yellow or orange yolk and a thickish white that doesn't spread too far. Later I threw out another 1, and finally after 32 days, 14 ducklings hatched (2 were unknown or stolen by rats). Most ducks dont go broody on their first clutch, though. Duck eggs are larger, usually equivalent to one and a half to two chicken eggs. . ) white layer might be interested in reading this article, which 20... A week old, they need water and require lots of space to walk around and forage dry! It was cold and she will not sit on it 5 Ruenes males... 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