How old do ducks stop laying?
We ahve a 3 YO Kharki Campbell duck since she was a chick. Until last Spring she'd lay 3-4 eggs a week, but then she stopped.
I'ts been 9 months since she has laid an egg and we wonder why? Is she too old?
She has not laid through spring, summer, autumn and winter. and it's spring again now in Sydney (Australia). Her diet has not changed, nor has her hutch or anything else that we can think of.
Hi Jadams,
I think that KC ducks should be able to lay until they are up to 7yrs old, although I have heard that after 4 yrs old the production drops a bit.
I am sorry but I do not know why she would not be laying as KC are renowned for laying abilities.
Regards
Lorna
Ps could she have been hiding the eggs anywhere around the yard/garden?
They do drop of laying as much at that kind of age x
just reading your post and you say she hasnt laid for 9 months which made her only 2 when she last laid which doesnt seem right to me, you say her diet is the same but don't say what her diet is, Khaki campbells as Lorna says are the most reliable egg layers so something is not right
Thanks Mo and others :-)
We're feeding her either "duck" "duck grower(duckling)" or "chicken layer" commercial pellets. We've had difficulty getting 'duck' pellets.
I understand duck and chicken pellets are almost the same, except one has more protein?
I would put them on the chicken layer pellets thats what most of us feed our ducks, this may be your problem grower pellets should be stopped when ducks first begin laying, there isnt enough of the right ingredients for them to be producing eggs
Could you send mail order for your layers pellets?
It might be an idea. Here in the UK I use waterfowl pellets made by fancyfeed, they are similar to the layers except they contain one or two differnt ingds specifically for ducks like a prebiotic which is supposed to help the ducks internally as they all like to puddle about in mucky places and I think the other ingd is for feather quality but the protein content is the same. Mine do not like the layers pellets really.
Best Wishes
Lorna.
I have had one egg this morning. This is after about 4 weeks of nothing from all 5 females.
They all have their new feathers now and I have removed Gordon from the group. Since Flipper has joined George's group they have also been sorting out a new pecking order with plenty of wrestling matches between Abbie (1) and Mattie(2). Now Flipper seems to be joint 1 with Abbie, so Mattie is now relegated to 3rd. Flipper keeps well out of the fracas and watches all the goings on with George.
A ducks life!
N.B Gordon now has two new girls join him, Amber and Hazel, who are not quite point of lay yet and they are settling in slowly with him in their separate pen.
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