Duck Help

[FarmDucks445]

Hi everyone,

We just got 4 ducks this Christmas, a pair of Blue Orpington Ducks, and 2 Femail White Campbells. Please any help with these questions would be much appreciated.

1) The Pair of Orpingtons have been seen mating multiple times even though it is January. Is this normal? if so will we have fertile eggs soon? We saw the male in the duck house trying to make a nest a few days ago, but since then it has just become trampled.

2) On the first few days that we got them we had eggs regularly for a few days but now we aren't getting any. It has been 2 weeks since our last egg. Is this normal and will we get eggs soon? And is there anything we can do to make them lay?

3) I'm told that ducks don't make nests and that they just lay their eggs on the ground in their house. Is this ok?

finally, as we have 3 females, will the male mate with all of them even though the other two are different breeds?

Thank you for reading this and any help would be widely appreciated .

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Hi Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new ducks

In answer to your questions:
1. yes, we are now in breeding/pairing/mating season (they start early) lots of mating and showing off going on! Any eggs you get will likely be fertile but now not a good time to go broody and nest! There may be nesting activity but its unlikely to get serious until March time.

2. they are likely to be having a break, their cycles are influenced by weather and daylight, so cold days and 16 hous of darkness will gradually stop them laying. This is a good thing, if you have ducks laying all year around, you will get a higher incidence of peritonitis and may lose some or get hefty vet bills!

3. ducks will usually make a nest if they have somewhere private and suitable to do so, sometimes utility ducks like campbells just lay where they stand and move on and dont go broody, depends on their genetic stock really.

The male will try and mate with as many ducks as possible but will also have a favourite duck. He may also be mean to a particular female and try and bully her out of the group, just watch for any that are being picked on/bullied or over mated.

Enjoy them and feel free to ask as many questions as you like!
Zo