Dive Into Duck Facts: When Do Ducks Start Laying Eggs?

Eggs straight from the coop are so delicious.

If you like eating duck eggs daily you can consider keeping a few ducks. Raising ducks for selling eggs is also a good idea.

Raising ducks is easier than chickens. They can be raised in a small backyard. They are not fussy, and keeping more than one is a good idea.

You can keep three or more female ducks alone without a drake. But, if you want the eggs to hatch you certainly need a drake. Keeping 4-5 ducks with a drake is the best combination.

Female ducks can start laying eggs by the age of 5-6 months, though peak egg-laying does not happen for the next 5-6 weeks.

It is interesting to know that ducks can lay eggs even when a drake is not with them. These eggs do not fertilize or hatch. If you want to hatch a few eggs and get ducklings, you will have to keep a drake as well.

Ducks are also known to produce eggs throughout the year. They are better than chickens when it comes to rearing for eggs. Ducks lay even in winter without any additional light, while chickens stop in the winter season.

There are duck breeds like the Khaki Campbell, Silver Appleyard, and Welsh Harlequin that lay more eggs than most breeds of chickens.

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At what age do ducks start laying eggs?

Ducks start to lay eggs by 5-6 months of age. Peak egg production begins by the next 5-6 weeks only. A photoperiod of 14 hours of light is important for high production.

Female Mallard ducks live mostly in the wild. They make nests from leaves and grasses. They then line it with the plucks from their breast. They are the softest feathers.

They help in keeping the eggs warm. She lays the eggs between mid-march to end of July. Normally the size of the clutch is around 12. These are laid in 1-2 days intervals.

A female duck then covers it to keep it safe from predators. When you are out in the wild, if you happen to see a nest that has eggs, please do not touch them. Leave them alone. That is the best for their safety. They are not abandoned. The mother duck will be around.

The egg-laying period is very stressful for a duck. She loses a lot of her energy. The female duck lays eggs that are more than half her own body weight within a week's time. She shall be needing proper rest. During this time, she is dependant on her male partner for protection.

When the ducklings are born, she can take care of them. While egg-laying, she needs to be protected by males. The place where she shall feed and her loafing area too needs to be protected from predators.

Ducks lay eggs in the morning. Ducks eat food twice daily. They start laying maximum eggs when they are seven months old.

Though the time of laying eggs is a little different for different breeds, they have to build up their own bones and be strong before they lay eggs. It is a very stressful time for them. You must give them space for making a nest.

So, until the ducks are fully mature, you will not see eggs laid by them. Till then, they are like ducklings and must be given chicken feed. You will notice the smaller breeds have laid eggs sooner than the others.

Do ducks start laying eggs when they are molting?

Female ducks start laying eggs at seven months of age. They do so on a nest created by them or man-made nests.

The ducks go through molting every year. Some also go through it twice a year. It happens during the late summer when they shed thinner feathers and get a new set of thick feathers. In the spring, they shed off their thicker coat of feathers to prepare for summer.

It is interesting to note that a chicken will stop laying eggs completely till spring comes in again. They do not lay eggs in the winter season. Ducks restart as soon as molting is over.

The most common sign that a bird is molting is that you will notice feathers in the coop. It will appear as if there has been a pillow fight in the nest.

You need to be careful when you handle the ducks during their molting period. The new feathers are soft and can break easily. This will cause bleeding and hurt the ducks when they sit in the nest.

Muscovy ducks are the best when you want to keep them for meat and duck eggs. They are known as large size breeds. When the meat of muscovies is roasted, it tastes heavenly. This breed is preferred by those who keep more birds together.

Do you need a drake for ducks to start laying eggs?

You can get duck eggs as soon as the duck turns seven months of age.

The laying of eggs by females can begin without a drake. But, if you want to have a few ducklings then you will certainly need a drake. Otherwise, the eggs will not get fertilized.

They keep laying eggs throughout the year. Even in the winter season, they can lay eggs without extra light. But, in the case of chickens, they need extra light for warmth.

You need to give a proper layer of food to keep the flock happy so that you can get a good number of eggs. You can collect the eggs laid when females are away for feeding or taking care of young ones. Else, they could bite you when you go to search for eggs.

A flock of breeding females can be kept happy in a small backyard as well. You need to let them roam around free.

But, at night, send them in the coop for protection from predators. If you have a pool in the garden the ducks are sure to swim in it. So make sure you do make a pond for them nearby.

You must keep in mind that if you keep more than one drake they have a natural tendency to fight in the mating season. They may hurt each other. You can get access to the eggs a little in the morning when the females generally go out in the sun. They lay eggs early in the morning.

When the young ones hatch, they will need heat and warmth till they grow their own feathers. You must give them chicken feed so that their nutrition is complete. After the chickens' grower feed makes them mature, they will need layer feed. This is required when the bird starts laying eggs.

The adult ducks also enjoy eating peas, lettuce, and most leafy vegetables. You can read more articles about what to feed them. Do not give them non-vegetarian food or bones. A bird may choke and die.

Do different types of ducks start laying eggs at different times?

Most duck breeds start to lay eggs when they are six months old. This production increases in a few weeks' time.

When the ducks are given proper space and good food, they start to lay eggs. It is normal for them to begin by six months and reach full potential egg production a few weeks after that.

A lighter-weight duck breed becomes sexually mature at around 17-24 weeks of age and starts laying early. Heavier ducks are late in this manner. They begin 20-30 weeks of age.

Duck mothers lay mostly only one egg a day. They do not lay all the eggs on the same day. They do not produce eggs daily. They too need rest.

So, if you want eggs daily, you should keep a few ducks to get eggs daily. If one of them does not lay an egg someday, you still get one from the others. A single female duck produces 8-14 eggs in a single turn.

The females, after laying, like to incubate the eggs. She will not let you have access to the eggs. Just like birds, they provide body warmth to keep eggs warm. In a garden, you can make posts for the ducks to fly to.

Else, they may fly away when the weather changes. In the wild, ducks are migratory birds and they do not stay at the same place the whole year. When they feel cold, they shift nest to a warmer place.

Pekin ducks start egg production when they are26-28 weeks of age. They are the most economical. They can be kept for about 40 weeks for egg-laying. They shall lay around 160 eggs as they will lay a few every few hours.

Egg production is best when all the breeding ducks are kept together in groups. The group should not be bigger than 250 birds. Also, keep a pond in the place if you can. Else, they may go out in search of a pond.

When you raise them in captivity, the duck's warmth is your duty. Make sure she has a nice clean and warm coop in the winter. The windows and doors must be closed during the cold weather. Muscovy ducks are great pets.

If you provide them with clean water, good food, and ample space, they stay happy. It is a large breed in size. They eat and roam around free in the garden or space in your backyard for them. When they have familiarized themselves with humans there are very rare incidences of attack.

Muscovies have been domesticated for a long time now by humans and are kept in a flock for duck eggs and meat. Being big in size, these birds have a lot of meat that tastes awesome when roasted.

People who like duck meat could raise these in their backyard. You will need a flock if you raise them for meat, one will not be enough as the time of maturing will be more.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'When do ducks start laying eggs?' then why not take a look at 'Why do flamingos stand on one leg?' or 'Crested duck facts'?