Also, if shes alone, shes lonely. Heres more on breeding and hatching eggs: Your email address will not be published. Its not the best idea to have two drakes and only one female, since they can overmate her and kill her. Let me know if you have any other questions. Of course, make sure your duck housing and run are both secure against predators. The eggs will be far healthier, but theyre almost guaranteed to cost you a lot more. Breeding and mating doesnt necessarily mean shell lay eggs or go broody. Ducks feed on larvae and pupae usually found under rocks, aquatic animals, plant material, seeds, small fish, snails, and crabs. They dont go bad that fast. I have two female Indian Runners that are laying eggs. He had her on the ground & had hold of the feathers on the back of her neck mounting her but she was quacking in great distress. If she really was broody, the eggs would unfortunately have died from going that long without warmth. If any eggs arent developing, they could rot, which would pose a risk to all the other eggs. However, if youre looking for an attractive species with gorgeous plumage and a friendly, easy-going demeanor, you may want to add the Rouen duck breed to your shortlist of potential breeds to consider! For more information, read our, Duck Housing: Everything You Need to Consider, Free-Ranging Ducks 101: Everything You Need to Know, Duck Eggs and Egglaying: 20 Things You Need to Know, Why arent my ducks laying eggs? What is this? Ducks can in general be raised with chickens, yes, but its best for them to not be alone. They eat the bird seed we put out and swim in the plastic pool we put out for them. Im not even there yet myself. Challenges of Raising a Rouen Duck Rouen ducks only lay about 125 eggs per year at best. Then inside that is the egg yolk with a separate layer of white around it. Pick all the eggs. Your email address will not be published. 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. The exterior of the shell was rough textured &, when I cracked open the egg, the white was much thicker than usual & the yolk was not formed only streaks of gold. I will continue with Ruene ducks. It isnt going to save you any money. When raising Rouen ducks, particularly those that you plan to breed, you must pay close attention to the appearance and health of your birds. They have much more cholesterol than chicken eggs (which is. Whatever sex they are it must be the same as I cant tell them apart. 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). Bailey is very interested in my 9 week old females. My Muscovy female duck started laying 12 days ago, and still doesnt seem to be getting broody. Ducks can lay their eggs for up to 10 days before incubation begins. But she may or may not go broody. Could you tell me what her living situation is like? You are using an out of date browser. While some Rouen hens can lay up to 125 eggs annually, the minimum annual threshold is 35 eggs. The Ducklings Hatched and Left 5. However, it varies, of course. They lay eggs consistently throughout the year but might destroy them. Ducks and chickens both occasionally have a slight malfunction in their system and lay a misshapen, small, or soft-shelled egg. And the Mallard ducks are the ancestor of the Rouen duck, like most different duck breeds. 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. If she brings her ducklings to your yard, Id recommend either not feeding them or only feeding them very small amounts until theyre a few weeks old, and even then, make sure they dont start to rely on you for food. Young chicken and ducks recently started laying. However, since its spring, your duck will probably start laying soon anyway, and if they keep breeding, the eggs will probably be fertile. I have a young Indian Runner female. They typically lay white eggs. My ducks free range, and I herd them to bed every night. For one thing, the first clutch ducks lay tend to have smaller eggs and theyre not so good for hatching. I have girls that are four years old and have only been broody two or three times in their entire lives. But its difficult, and its something few people can achieve. 6+ Fertile Duck Hatching Eggs Barnyard Mix (Rouen, Cayuga, Runner Mix, & Buff . But yours probably would have reached adulthood in February or March, so Im not sure if that applies here. My seven month old Pekins mated a few weeks ago and the female has begun laying eggs. 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. Ducks at the age of 7-9 years on average completely stop producing eggs. They will lay eggs even if they never mate. There is technically a subtle visible difference: unfertilized eggs have a blastodisc and fertilized eggs have a blastoderm. If she decides to surprise you and go broody anyway, you can always give the eggs back (assuming you havent already eaten them all). Separating the ducklings isnt necessary. my question is when do i need to breed the mother duck to start laying eggs again? So they often just drop the eggs wherever they happen to be when they feel the egg coming. Some will take longer, two or three hours. Imagine you have at least five ducks With so many eggs, you better love eating them. Other ducks lay in clutches. You need at least 4-5 females per drake, and about half of the ducklings will be drakes, which will mean youll have to do something with those extra drakes, and possibly the females as well if you dont have much space. Do you mean the ducks have been throwing some of the eggs out? Just this morning we discovered that our GSD puppy has become an egg thief. Ducks that do this are not likely to go broody. Males have nothing to with ovulation, only fertilization. Also, try to minimize nesting areas in your ducks' yard. Preferably dense vegetation 24 inches high, such as native grasslands and CRP fields. You will also need a place where your ducks can dunk their heads and bills in water. Although female Rouens are often confused with female Mallards, the key difference between the two is that Rouens are usually a much darker brown. Either way, I dont really think the egg came from the duckling. Although these birds are somewhat slow to mature, taking up to eight months to be ready for the table, they have abundant, delicate-tasting flesh that is perfect for roasting. Due to their lower water content, frying or boiling them for too long can make the whites rubbery in texture. There have been some salmonella scares over the years, with a recent one in the EU in 2010, but certainly theres no evidence to suggest duck eggs are empirically more dangerous than chicken eggs. around 20 degrees F.Unlike chickens who are generally comfortable at temperatures 45 degrees and above, ducks are just fine down to temperatures around 20 degrees F. Below that however, they can suffer frostbite on their feet which could lead to amputation or lost limbs. They dont always go broody. It might take seven to ten months before you see a single egg. Please dont breed unless you know what youll do with the babies, especially the drakes. Breeders have exhibited various options like Pastel, Fawn, Blue, and Black, but these are not yet accepted or recognized by the American Poultry Association. At least one of the ducks continues to lay eggs around our pool and in random areas of our yard. When raising Rouen ducks, particularly those that you plan to breed, you must pay close attention to the appearance and health of your birds. Unfortunately, Rouen ducks are not the best breed to raise if you hope to raise ducks for eggs. Is this normal? Ducks mature and become old enough to lay at 4-7 months or 16-28 weeks of age. Thats because it is somewhat unreliable when it comes to its laying habits. Even if shes in an enclosed area, snakes, rats, and other small animals may still be a possibility. They lay eggs consistently throughout the year but might destroy them. Duck breeds that can lay blue and green eggs include the Ancona, Australian Spotted, Aylesbury, Bali, Duclair, Dutch Hookbill, Mallard, Pomeranian, Silver Bantam, Silver Appleyard Miniature, and Shetland. Try to prevent or minimize sources of stress for your ducks. Also, if youd like to know what breed she is, you can send me a picture and I can attempt to figure it out. Hi Hanna Until the ducks are fully feathered around 7-9 weeks old, they have trouble regulating their body temperature and need heat. If youve ever raised Mallards, youll find that Rouens are quite similar in all aspects but one they are extremely calm and lazy! Required fields are marked *. Muscovies are generally known to go broody a lot, but not all do. (Also, the drake has nothing to do with whether she lays eggs or goes broody. It would be safer to have several more females, or get rid of one drake. Ducks are also more aggressive during this period. Its important to watch out for Rouens that have overly developed keels. Refrigerated eggs last two months or more. Every "my ducks aren't laying eggs!" case I've ever heard of can be attributed to one or more of these fifteen causes: She's not old enough. In your vegetable garden, rhubarb, white potato plants, eggplant and tomato stems and leaves are part of the nightshade family and all contain toxins. There is no way of knowing. Females often crush the eggs by mistake. She looks and acts healthy, I feed her all flock layer feed. 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. However, you can find ducklings for sale at places like Purely Poultry, My Pet Chicken, and Murray McMurray Hatchery. Can I eat duck eggs if Im allergic to chicken eggs? 12 Things You Need to Know About Caring for Ducklings. Frequent weather changes might also mess up her laying. The Mother Duck Is Dead How Many Eggs Does a Duck Lay in a Day? My questions are There are a few easy ways you can encourage your ducks to produce more eggs. I received an order of ducks back in Feb. What could be wrong? Two of them are Runners. Im really not sure why, but I have two guesses. She sounds okay. Raising Ducks. Adult Rouens are much larger than Mallards as well. Production Rouens, on the other hand, is about two pounds lighter, generally only weighing seven or eight pounds. They have punched some eggs out and even took them and put it into thier little swimming pool. Rouen ducks start breeding at six months old and the females start laying eggs when they are around 25-30 weeks old. Sorry for the late reply. Exhibition-typed Rouen ducks have been known to crush their eggs if allowed to set due to their massive frames. If you do, dont put her alone. They are currently separate but he lays next to their gate all day)? 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