A ducks lays on average between 8 – 15 eggs per clutch, depending on the breed. On various occasions, we have refrigerated well-cleaned duck eggs for four months and longer with no detectable change in flavor.It is true that, when raised in confinement, a 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 pound duck will consume 20 to 30 percent more feed than a similarly sized Leghorn.
Under most circumstances, ducks should be locked up at nighttime in a yard that is tightly fenced with woven wire or netting at least four feet high. Campbells are active foragers and well-suited to a variety of climates, making them an ideal breed for hobby farmers throughout the world. Below is a chart noting the differences in the eggs. If you want ducklings, you probably need a Muscovy or Call or something.
Some of the best chicken layers will lay up to 300 eggs per year. While breed is one important factor, there’s a few other considerations that affect egg laying in ducks. Duck eggs also last longer than chicken eggs due to their thicker shells and membranes and are less apt to break, which can be a plus if you have small children help you collect eggs.
Fortunately, there are several breeding farms and hatcheries in the U.S. today that are working with and distributing fine laying ducks.
Lisa gives advice on raising backyard chickens and ducks on Facebook.com/FreshEggsDaily and Facebook.com/DucksToo as well as her blog Fresh-eggs-daily.com.
But I can tell you that light doesn't seem to make a huge difference for my runners. Ducks adhere to a far less strict pecking order than chickens and noisy squabbles are rare.
One of my female Rouen ducks finally laid an egg this morning but it was cold and she will not sit on it. Good egg-laying duck breeds can out-lay chickens.
But, due to the larger size and greater number of eggs produced by ducks, trials have shown that with proper management, ducks are still more efficient when the quantity of feed to produce a pound of eggs is calculated.
Photo by lifewithchickens_ #3 Australorp (The Best Egg Laying Chickens for Cold Climate) If you want chickens laying all year long, then you need to opt for egg hens who aren’t going to be negatively affected by a cold climate, and the best choice is the Australorp.These hens lay eggs no matter how cold it is, and you don’t have to worry about how you are going to keep them warm, as … … Ducks are less apt to go broody than chickens, which is nice if you are raising poultry purely to eat their eggs and aren’t interested in hatching any.Ducks aren’t nearly as hard on lawns as are chickens. You don’t need a male duck (called a drake) for the females to lay eggs, but they won’t ever hatch into ducklings without a drake around. Please let us know a convenient time to call you on In my recollection, not once has anyone suspected they weren’t dining on chicken eggs until we told them otherwise. Contrary to popular belief, chickens can lay eggs year-round. Ideally, ducks need 14 to 16 hours of light per day in order to lay at their maximum potential. Dr. George Arscott, formerly head of the Oregon State University Poultry Science Department, also urges that cottonseed meal not be used in breeding or laying rations since this protein supplement contains a toxin that can reduce hatchability and produce strange coloration in eggs, especially if the eggs are stored several weeks before being eaten. Relatively few people in the Americas realize that, on the whole, ducks are more proficient layers than chickens. For just a couple of ducks, a gallon tin can will suffice—and is easily cleaned.
The females do quack when frightened or excited, but don’t sing an ‘egg song’ like hens do. But some breeds have different breeding season which goes from late winter through spring to early summer. Ducks are excellent layers and will generally lay year round even without supplemental light in the winter.
Though ducks don’t lay all year long and they lay less frequent than most egg-laying chicken breeds, they lay much larger eggs and are much hardier A ducks lays on average between 8 – 15 eggs per clutch, depending on the breed. Probably more important than intensity is consistency.
In areas where thieves such as weasels, raccoons and large owls are known to roam, it is much safer to lock ducks in a varmint-proof building or pen at nightfall.For consistent winter egg production—especially in cold climates—ducks, like chickens, must be exposed to a minimum of 13 to 14 hours of light daily. Slightly larger than the others on this list—weighing 7 to 8 pounds—it’s classified as “medium” by the American Poultry Association.