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Do Ducks Lay Eggs All Year Round? (Quick Facts)

Ducks, unlike their counterparts, are less broody than chickens. They are exceptional egg layers. Their eggs are fertilized and well-formed as soon as they come out of the reproductive tract.

Ducks are an excellent choice when it comes to farming eggs. If you’re looking into ducks as an alternative to farming eggs then keep reading below as we go into details about the different breeds and much more.

Do ducks lay eggs all year round?

While it varies on the breed of the duck, they lay eggs all year round. Sometimes they lay even more than the chickens. Starting from March and till the end of July, ducks lay their eggs. Ducks lay their eggs early dawn from 4 am to 8 am. One or two days is the usual cycle when ducks lay eggs.

Ducks lay eggs all around the year. But there may be some differences among the different breeds such as the domestic and wild ducks. 

While Domestic ducks and Wild ducks have some of the same tell-tale features that all breeds of ducks have. There are still some dissimilarities when it comes to their physique, mating habits, and producing eggs. Let’s discuss this briefly here.

Domestic ducks:

These ducks are raised for their meat and eggs as well as the down. However, due to them mostly spending their lifetime on land the meat on the domestic duck is much more tender.

Since they lay eggs all year round, you can get an absurd number of eggs, about 200 a year, from a Pekin duck.

Wild ducks:

These ducks are the ancestors of domestic ducks. One best example is the iridescent green head duck out in the wild, which is called Mallard duck.

Unlike the domestic ducks, the wild duck lays one egg a day and the normal clutch is around 12 eggs. During the cold months, the Mallards slow down on the egg delivery or stop altogether. As a result, they don’t lay eggs all year round.

Do ducks lay eggs in the winter, fall, spring, or summer?

The beginning of the duck’s breeding season is Spring. They are similar to hens in some way.

They will lay the heaviest number of eggs from Spring to well into Summer. However soon it slows down from Fall to ultimately stopping during Winter.

However, with the help of artificial lighting, it’s possible to extend the laying process. This is done to make the ducks lay eggs all winter. But, pushing the ducks can make them nervous and will result in a decline in yearly produce.

What time of year do ducks start laying eggs and what time do they stop?

During spring ducks start laying eggs and slowly cut down on the number of eggs that come during the winter or stop altogether. This procedure is usually in early March till the end of July.

Ducks at the age of 7-9 years on average completely stop producing eggs. The exact age rather depends on the breed of duck.

Ducks usually lay their eggs during the dawn 4 am to 8 am. If for some reason the duck doesn’t lay eggs that morning its cycle resets and starts from the next dawn again.

Depending on the duck breed, the amount of egg will slowly reduce year after year. That’s mainly because ducks are designed to have a specific number of eggs they’ll lay in their lifetime.

Do these ducks lay eggs all year round? When do they lay eggs? 

We have made a list of different breeds of ducks to show you the differences between them and their egg-laying habits. This will give a clear idea as to expect what you might get if you went out and got one of the breeds discussed below.

Mallard ducks:

These ducks are a familiar sight in urban areas. Other than the Muscovy ducks the Mallard ducks are nearly the ancestors of all the breeds of domestic ducks out there.

Mallards will start laying their eggs at the start of a new spring and the female gives about 12 eggs a clutch.

A Mallard female will at least lay over half of her body weight of eggs. The mating season starts from October to November.

Muscovy ducks:

This warty-faced Muscovy duck is a strange duck. This bird can lay up to 60-120 eggs per year. It’s a rather low number of eggs considering the other breeds.

But they are mostly sought out for the meat on them, which is 98% fat-free, thus making them a delicacy. They start laying when they reach their hormonal maturity after 6 months. The mating season of this duck is from August to May.

Pekin ducks:

The most popular of them all, the Pekin duck is a breed that can be seen both in the backyards and the countryside of the United States.

With an average of 200 to a max of 300 eggs of extra-large white eggs are delivered by this breed. They also start laying eggs when they’re only 6 months of age. They mate between February and May.

Indian runner ducks:

One of the oldest duck breeds on the list is the Runner duck. These ducks lay eggs all year round, boasting 300 chicken size eggs per year.

This duck starts to lay eggs even when they’re only 4 months old. But, regular production of eggs will start when they reach their maturity by 6-7 months. These guys mate all year round.

Call ducks:

This is a Bantam breed, compact inside and the descendant of the Mallard duck. Call ducks lay approximately 50-150 eggs per year.

These guys are normally bred for hunting purposes or turning them into show birds, due to the low production of eggs. The mating season of these ducks is usually from December to March.

Rouen ducks:

Raised for their beloved meat and sometimes for keeping as a pet the Rouen duck is a heavyweight breed of duck. These ducks reach their maturity when they’re about 7-8 months of age.

Rouen ducks can lay up to 125 eggs a year. However, the number varies a lot from 35 to 50 sometimes. This is due to the unreliable laying habits of the breed.

Cayuga ducks:

Boasting some of the most beautiful feathers comes the Cayuga breed. These ducks are quieter than many other breeds and can be very docile. They deliver about 130-180 eggs every year.

Cayuga ducks have unique eggs that have a black color upon laying. Although they slowly lighten up until the fall, when they’re completely white. They reach their maturity by 4-6 months.

Do ducks lay eggs every day or all at once?

Ducks lay eggs every day, not all at once. They lay 1 egg a day. Sometimes as a rare occurrence it can be twice. However, the second egg might not be completely ready or have a softshell.

Ducks lay so many eggs that sometimes the farmer gets confused as to what they’d do with them. Can’t imagine what the farmers would do if they laid their eggs all at once.

How often do ducks lay eggs in a year?

A duck lays 1 egg a day. However, there are some cases where your duck could deliver 2 eggs in a day. Though it might be rare that still happens sometimes.

Ducks normally outperform the chickens easily with an average of 180 eggs a year. Though the exact number of eggs depends on the breed of duck you have, regardless the number is still quite high.

Do ducks lay eggs every year?

When compared to hens, ducks have a far more superior number of the years they lay eggs for. While the hens slow down after the 3rd or even the 2nd year.

The Duck shows no signs of slowing down even well down its 6th year. Which means they lay egg every year until the 7th year. It’s only when it reaches the age of 7 that it finally slows down and ultimately stops delivering eggs altogether.

Do ducks lay eggs in the same place every year?

Ducks like chickens have multiple locations that they will share with the flock. If you just have a few of these little fellas running around they will set up several nests. They’ll take turns laying eggs in those nests.

However, some ducks will look for the precise location where they laid their eggs last spring. This ability of birds to find these specific spots after being away for several months is a form of navigation known as homing.

Final thoughts

Ducks lay eggs all year round. They are easier to raise, even if it’s a small backyard. They are also low maintenance. If treated well the production of eggs will always be strong even in winters. They are an all-year-round supply of eggs for 8 years straight.