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Farming Friends Forum » Ducks

1. donaldduck
   Member

   Hi All,

   I posted a month or so ago regarding my pair of Aylesbury's. Well Daisy laid her first egg last Monday and I have had an egg a day since!

   Is this normal? I wasn't expecting to get an egg until the spring, they are both about 25 weeks old. I left the first six in the duck house to see if she would go broody and sit on them but she laid them all over the place in the duck house so I removed all six yesterday and I have removed another this morning.

   They have both settled in really well, they come and feed from my hand sometimes and they seem a very happy pair of ducks and I'm pleased to say the new secure duckhouse is fine and we have had no more unfortunate instances with the fox!!

   Paul :D

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. m40mo
   Administrator

   hi Paul, hope you enjoyed a big omlet today, i gave you wrong numbers on your last post, I have since read Aylesburys will lay anywhere between 100 and 200 eggs a year, your duck is very wise and seems to know it is far to late in the year to be going broody and bringing ducklings into the world, so gather the eggs daily and enjoy them they are great for baking to

   mo x

   Posted 1 year ago #

3. dollydylo
   Member

   Hi Paul
   I am delighted you are getting eggs now! Enjoy xx

   Karen x

   Posted 1 year ago #

4. Mama
   Member

   Great news and long may they lay Paul. Mama

   Goose Girl

   Posted 1 year ago #

5. Lorna
   Member

   Hi Paul,
   Good that the ducks are laying for you. They have reached the age for coming into lay. I got 2 big ducks from relations 2 yrs ago and they were just coming into lay then and laid pretty steady for months and then they moulted last autumn, but this year they stopped laying in August time or so. I am thinking it will probably be Spring next year when they lay again. I had my oldest call ducks start in Jan 2000 when they were about 6 months old then, but now they just start in March or so to early August.

   Best Wishes
   Lorna

   Posted 1 year ago #

6. quackers1984
   Member

   hi my aylesbury duck jemima lays lots of eggs, she is really regular andwe love the eggs, shes the best layer out of all our ducks and at the moment, our only layer!! she went broody and sat on a nest in the summer, she was very good apart from her bad temper!! the eggs didnt hatch though ) :

   Posted 1 year ago #

7. donaldduck
   Member

   we have continued to have an egg a day apart from 1 day, so that is pretty good for Aylesbury's from what I have read anyway.

   Anyone got any advice on incubating eggs? I am going to try this in the spring I think :D

   Paul :D

   Posted 1 year ago #

8. m40mo
   Administrator

   Hello Paul if you type incubating into the search box above you should find lots of posts with tips and advice some good stories some sad, but reading about Aylesburys in this link they should quite happily go broody and hatch the ducklings them selves this is by far the best start in life for any ducklings so my advice is to let nature take its corse and sit back and enjoy the magical experience, having a brooder ready just incase mum abandons any

   http://www.domestic-waterfowl.co.uk/ayls.htm

   mo x

   Posted 1 year ago #

9. donaldduck
   Member

   Thanks Mo,

   After the fox incident with the first 2 ducks I built a duck house and I had it raised so the ground frost wasn't too harsh. The door on the house was too steep and I have been catching both ducks every night and putting them away. I cleaned the house out today and Daisy seemed to have made a nest for the eggs that were in the house, but once she had come out in the morning she couldn't get back in until I put them away.

   I cut some off the legs today so they can go in and out on their own now and as soon as I had finished she went straight in! Everything I had read prior to getting the ducks said Aylesburys were not at all a broody duck? Also I was concerned that if she hatched now the ducklings would be hatching early December, and I don't know if the weather conditions would be bad for the ducklings?

   Should I remove the eggs daily or just leave her, and this might be a stupid question but if she gets broody and lays an egg a day, sits on them and hatches them, surely I will be in for a new duckling everyday after 28 days or so??

   Paul :D

   Posted 1 year ago #

10. campbell ridge
    Administrator

    Hi Paul. you do need to remove the eggs every day at least until spring or until she goes broody herself which may be summer. I am not sure how good Aylesburys are at brooding but my white campbells certainly are and have made excellent mothers.
    Please don't be tempted to incubate at this time of year as it will cause you no end of problems regarding light, feeding and warmth.
    Enjoy eating your eggs for now :)
    Sarah

    Sarah L

    Posted 1 year ago #

11. donaldduck
    Member

    Hi Sarah,

    If I am removing them daily how will i know if she is broody??

    regards

    Paul :D

    Posted 1 year ago #

12. m40mo
    Administrator

    hi Paul this is a good link all about Aylesburys ducks and its where I read they will go broody it also says that due to their size and weight they should have deep water for mating, so hope you have more than a paddleing pool lol, i hate to see mine mate on land I do worry for the duck with the weight of the drake on her legs

    http://www.domestic-waterfowl.co.uk/ayls.htm

    just keep removing them for the winter, then in the spring just start leaving them and she will decide if shes broody or not, dont panic on numbers she will lay daily until she feels she has enough maybe 12, then will stop laying when she is ready to sit on them then all ducklings should hatch at the same time
    people do seem to confuse ducks laying eggs in one spot and ducks laying to have ducklings, if i left all my duck eggs where my girls normally lay them i would have a massive pile by now as my girls can lay up to 350 eggs a year lol
    enjoy your eggs in the mean time duck eggs are lovely and if you havnt tried it yet they are the best eggs for baking x

    mo x

    Posted 1 year ago #

13. campbell ridge
    Administrator

    If your girl does go broody, she will make a nest with high sides and her behaviour will change. She will stay on it for a while, then periodically check on it throughout the day. She will start to become protective of it and that's the time to leave the eggs daily. You need not exclude the male as they will want to stay together.
    S

    Sarah L

    Posted 1 year ago #

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