A clutch is a full set of eggs laid by a single female. In ducks, clutch sizes range from three to 12 eggs. During the first few visits, the hen attends the nest only briefly, but as the size of her clutch grows, she spends more and more time there. While on the nest, she gathers grass or other vegetation and down feathers plucked from her belly to form a bowl, which insulates and conceals the eggs.
Incubation actually starts late in the egg-laying process, when the female begins to apply body heat to the clutch by positioning herself so that an area of bare skin on her belly, known as a brood patch, rests directly on the eggs.
This transfer of heat helps the eggs reach a temperature at which the cells begin dividing to form the embryo.
The hen uses her bill and feet to roll and reposition the eggs so that all of them receive an equal amount of heat. This ensures that the ducklings develop at roughly the same rate and hatch at about the same time.
Incubation lasts between 21 and 31 days, depending on the species. During incubation, hens spend most of their time on the nest, taking only brief breaks to feed in nearby wetlands. Related Items:. Chicken Harness In Stock. The Chicken Swing In Stock.
Poultry Waterer, 2 sizes In Stock. A: Assuming that they have had proper care, lighter-weight duck breeds mature sexually at weeks of age and begin laying eggs at that time. Heavier duck breeds usually start laying between weeks of age. Egg production from the egg-laying strains is very high when groups are small. Muscovies are the only breed that generally goes broody.
They lay their eggs in batches of about 20; the first few eggs of the first batch will be small and they should not be set for incubation. Pekins start laying eggs when they are about 26—28 weeks of age and can be kept economically for about 40 weeks of production, when they will have laid about eggs.
Egg production and overall performance is best if breeding ducks are housed together in groups no bigger than birds. Nest litter should be changed daily after most eggs have been laid.
With morning lighting programs the bulk of eggs are laid between 4. Electric lights can be used to bring ducks more quickly to full production and to shorten the period of moult when birds have a pause in production.
Artificial lighting for 2 weeks or so before eggs are required for setting can achieve this. Supplement natural daylight with artificial light so that birds receive about 15 hours of total light see Table 1. Note : Do not adjust time clock to daylight saving time. There is no production advantage in using fluorescent lights instead of incandescent lights, but the fluorescent tubes or bulbs are more economical to run. Make sure the light shines on all feeders, drinkers and nests.
Ducks require a light intensity of about 10 lux and this can be provided by one 60 watt incandescent bulb for every 18 m 2 of floor space. English breeds might panic when the lights go out in an evening lighting program. All-night lighting can prevent such panic, using one 15 watt bulb for every 18 m 2 of floor space.
If all-night lighting is not practised, morning lighting is preferred to evening lighting. A combined morning and evening lighting program can be used; however, the same problems of possible panic at night must be considered. Blackout training from day one when ducklings are first hatched may prevent later problems of panic when lights are turned off.
Lights should be operated by a time switch that has a reserve spring. Check the lights daily. Remember that daylength decreases in autumn by about 15 minutes each week until the middle of June, when it increases by 15 minutes each week until the middle of December.
Domestic ducks are of two main types, the Muscovy and ducks breeds descended from mallards. Mallard descendents include Pekins, the classic all-white ducks; Indian runner ducks, lean and fast-moving ducks; Cayuga ducks, which come in dark colors; and bibbed mallards. These ducks don't have red on their faces; they all have curled feathers that flip up at the tail. Some people who raise ducks incubate eggs under a broody duck or in an incubator, also called a setter.
The incubator keeps the eggs at a controlled temperature and a controlled humidity for the eggs' development.
In a pinch, you can incubate duck eggs under a broody chicken. Broody means she's been laying eggs and is inclined to sit on them. In an incubator, a duck egg loses 14 percent of its weight from water loss. The air cell in the egg enlarges to take up a third of the shell.
The egg's weight and the size of its air cell are the main ways to tell if the egg is near the end of its incubation period.
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