The Pekin duck is one of the most popular duck breeds in the United States. In addition to being excellent layers (200 eggs per year), they also are quite tasty and reach an excellent eating size of 7- 13 pounds.
Do Pekin Ducks lay eggs?
Yes! They’re actually pretty good layers too! Pekin ducks lay 200-300 eggs per year. This is an excellent amount of eggs, and duck eggs not only taste great but they’re excellent for baking as well.
How Often Do Pekin Ducks Lay Eggs?
Pekins aren’t as reliable of layers as chickens are, and you should not expect to get an egg from them everyday! Pekin ducks are more likely to lay every few days instead.
What Age Do Pekin Ducks Lay Eggs
You can expect your Pekin ducks to start laying at 5 months of age. But, if you are planning to eat your ducks then it is best to harvest them at 7-8 weeks of age. This is because when the pin feathers come in it becomes much harder to pluck them and prepare them.
If you plan to hatch your eggs, then be warned – Pekins don’t really go “broody”. They have been bred to lay a large number of eggs to be collected on farms or to quickly grow to a nice table size. (Most ducks eaten in the United States are actually Pekin ducks.)
This means that if you want to hatch some you’ll likely need to do it yourself with the use of an incubator. While this is a more involved process, it is not difficult. It mostly requires a watchful eye and paying attention to things like temperature and moisture.
You’ll also need to make sure that you have the right equipment. Most trays for egg hatching are intended for chickens and duck eggs are quite a bit larger, so they will not fit.
Start by choosing the best eggs which will have the most likely chance of success. The eggs you pick for hatching should be uniform, have no cracks, or double yolks which may inhibit the baby duck from forming properly in the egg.
Eggs can be stored in a cool location for at least a week after laying. After that, fertility begins to decline and so do your chances of hatching a duckling using those eggs, so keep that in mind.
What to do if your ducks aren’t laying eggs
Are your Pekin ducks past 5 months or so and you still have no eggs to speak of? While you shouldn’t expect it to always happen right at the 5 month mark, there are some things you can try to get them to lay!
Are your ducks stressed out?
While ducks are pretty low maintenance animals and great for the beginner homesteader, they do stress easily! They need to have consistent routines, safe housing, and plentiful food.
Animals can become stressed due to many external factors though, this includes nearby predators, harassment from other animals, such as dogs, or even harsh weather such as extreme heat or cold!
If you’re having trouble getting your ducks to lay, make sure they have a place to feel safe and out of the weather. Make sure they are not being bothered too much by dogs if you have them as well.
Are you sure you don’t have eggs?
It’s possible that your ducks are laying eggs but they are hiding them from you! Ducks can be sneaky, and they may have secret nests somewhere on your property. Check around for out of the way, quiet places where you ducks may be hiding their clutch of eggs from you.
Are your ducks getting enough nutrition?
Egg production takes a lot of resources from an animal’s body! If your ducks aren’t getting proper nutrition they may not be able to lay eggs without putting themselves in danger. So, there body doesn’t produce them.
Make sure that you’re providing your birds with high protein feed and supplements. Free ranging can also help them to get more nutrients in their diet, but you may also need to supplement calcium for them. Oyster shells or crushed eggshells put into their feed can help/
In short, the Pekin duck is an excellent bird to have on your homestead! Not only are they great providers of tasty meat and eggs, but ducks are also excellent at pest control. No slug will be left alive to feat on your garden, and their charming little quacks will make you fall head over heels for this handsome duck breed.
Tanya, both a nurturing stay-at-home mom and a skilled crafter, is the creative force behind our blog. As the co-founder of Romney Ridge Farms & Crafts, she’s the editor and curator. She also runs the Romney Ridge Farms & Crafts social media accounts where we post new patterns for you to enjoy.
