Do you spend time figuring out when your ducks would lay eggs? The same happened to me when I kickstarted my mini backyard duck farm to raise ducks for eggs. I was at a loss about when my ducks would lay eggs. But when they reached their sixth month, many of my ducks started laying eggs. I got 20 female ducks, and around 18 began laying eggs simultaneously, meaning the rate of them laying eggs is about 90%. This means I have approximately 18 eggs daily within five weeks from the day they started laying.
Some duck species are best for meat, while others are best for their eggs. Mallards and Rouen, for example, are known for their meat, while Pekins, Cayuga, and Khaki Campbell are known for their eggs. Nevertheless, the average age of egg-laying ducks is from the fourth to seventh months.
What Time of the Year and How Long Do Ducks Lay Eggs?
Ducks would seldom lay eggs during winter. More often, they would lay eggs during the spring. Yet, if ducks start to mature during the fall or the winter, they are most likely not producing eggs during the spring. They might have eggs during summer unless you would provide them with more sunlight.
Nonetheless, there are breeds of ducks that lay eggs year long. One such breed is the Khaki Campbell which can lay eggs no matter what season of the year it is.
Another excellent question is how long the laying of eggs would last. Well, there is no exact answer to this question. Ducks would generally lay eggs in the morning. Thus, if you’re a late riser, you might miss their laying of eggs.
However, if you notice that your ducks are having a hard time laying eggs or have a problem laying eggs, you might as well consult a vet for any recommended treatment.
Generally, ducks lay eggs for three to five years, but it may even be longer. Besides, the duck’s lifespan ranges from ten to fifteen years in captivity or in the wild.
Pekin Ducks, for example, typically lay eggs anywhere from three to ten years, but the average duck usually lays eggs from three to five years. The number of eggs laid by ducks significantly diminishes when they reach their sixth to the seventh year.
How Much Time After Mating Would Ducks Need to Lay Eggs?
You might think that they would soon lay eggs after seeing your young ducks mating. Well, this is not exactly true. Mating doesn’t have a bearing on when ducks would lay eggs. Ducks will continue to lay eggs even if there is no drake in the surroundings. Yet, mating generally begins weeks before a duck would lay its eggs.
After mating, however, the fertilized eggs will be fertile after 10 to 14 days. Once ducks lay eggs, it would usually take them fourteen days to finish laying eggs, from the first egg laid to the last one. During this time, ducks will lay one egg per day. So, after two weeks, you will have around 12 duck eggs. However, the incubation period of duck eggs can take up to a month.
The Time of the Year When Ducks Lay Eggs
As mentioned above, the typical season when ducks lay eggs is in spring. Most wild ducks would lay eggs during this season, which is the start of the breeding season. Laying eggs during the spring means that the ducklings will have an ample supply of food and sunlight for their growth. These ducklings that were laid and have grown during the spring are likely to be strong and healthy and will be able to survive the following winter.
Spring occurs in most parts of the world during March. Therefore, most ducks’ egg-laying season is from March to July. Besides, ducks would likely lay their eggs from spring to summer.
Would Ducks Lay Eggs Year-Round?
During the winter months, ducks would likely slow down and may produce fewer eggs or no eggs at all. However, some duck breeds could lay eggs all year round. One example of this duck breed is the Khaki Campbell. However, the Indian Runners and the Mallards will lay fewer eggs during colder months or may stop laying eggs altogether.
Another thing is that most ducks would be less productive with eggs when they are molting. Hence, it is not solely the change in the season that affects the productivity of ducks. Other factors also contribute to the egg productivity of ducks, like molting and nutrition.
Besides, if ducks are stressed, they would not likely lay eggs. Other factors that could affect the laying capability of ducks include bullying within the group, over-feeding, poor hygiene, and little access to water.
The Time of the Day When Duck Typically Lay Eggs
Ducks would usually lay eggs in the morning, anywhere between six to eight in the morning. They usually lay eggs at the same time of the day; thus, their egg-laying schedule is entirely predictable. Their egg-laying activities are usually dictated by sunlight, and sunlight seems to stimulate their egg-producing hormones.
Although ducks usually lay eggs within six hours after sunrise, the time of laying an egg depends on the exact time the last egg got laid and how long it would take for an egg to mature.
Ducks usually take 24 to 26 hours until another egg is ready for laying. Then, an hour after the egg is lain, the egg-evolving process starts again.
However, if the egg is laid late in the day, the egg-producing hormones will not trigger until the following day. Hence, ducks are not likely to lay eggs daily.
When Does a Pekin Duck Start Laying an Egg?
Pekin ducks can lay eggs when they mature. They usually reach maturity at four to seven months or 16 to 18 weeks. Besides, by the age of five months, they would start laying eggs. Pekin ducks are bred to lay many eggs.
How Often Would Domesticated Ducks Lay Eggs?
Ducks vary in species; some ducks are bred for their meat, while others are for laying eggs. Ducks meant to lay eggs can lay eggs almost every day. Moreover, they would start to lay eggs during the spring and go on laying eggs for most of the year.
Once they begin laying eggs, they will continue to lay until they have lain around 20 eggs. Ducks would occasionally lay two eggs in a single day. However, this occurrence is rare. But this occurrence is normal, especially if the duck’s hormone is still not well-ordered.
Conclusion
If you plan to hatch eggs, you should collect eggs, and you may hatch them using an incubator. Once your ducks lay eggs, you can start selecting the best eggs that will likely get hatched successfully. Besides, the eggs you choose for hatching should be uniform, with no double yolks or cracks.
Another thing to take note of is that female ducks got the ability to store sperms for at least two weeks. During this time, the eggs of the female ducks get fertilized successfully. The eggs usually take around ten to fourteen days to become fertile. Because of this ability to store sperms, ducks can lay many eggs in a single breeding season.
