# Duck Eggs?



## Rosebud (Jul 11, 2010)

My pekin duck (Emma) has laid 8 eggs and then 2 days ago she started laying soft shell eggs. What caused this? I feed she laying crumbles, corn and she also free ranges. She has plenty of fresh water so I don't know what happened. Do I need to leave her in her pen and take the male duck away from her?


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

I am no expert & only had my 1 trout runner hen lay a soft shelled egg twice this summer. Someone here told me it could be from her being a young hen since she had just started laying not long before that or also that was when we were having extremely high heat temp.'s here & that could do it also. I was thinking maybe stress too could cause it.
Does she have access to oyster shell so she can get it when she needs it? I keep oyster shell & grit in one of those 2 sided mineral dishes you buy at TSC in there duck house so anyone can get it when they need it.


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## rdhdstpchild (Jul 13, 2009)

I like that idea of offering the supplements instead of mixing it in their food. We do it for the goats, why not the ducks/chickens too?

I just got a soft egg as well. Found it this morning in their pond instead of in their coop where the girls normally lay. Strange I didn't notice it last night.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

I have a duck that lays soft shelled eggs pretty regularly. Unfortunately I'm not sure who it is, I suspect one of my old girls (large breed) that doesn't lay much anyway. Otherwise, if an egg goes through the tract too fast (that is where stress is a factor) you can get a soft shell. 

The wrong balance of nutrition can cause it too. If you are feeding layer crumbles, that should be balanced for good laying, if you add corn to that, you lower the percentage of protien and of minerals, that may cause problems with the eggs. You may want to add animal proteins and free choice oyster shell calcium (or dried and crumbled egg shells can help too). My ducks lay better in the heat if I add liver to their diets. I have a friend that butchers beef and gives me the offal, my ducks won't eat the liver raw, but do like it cooked and crumbled in the food processor with a little oatmeal added to dry it out. It keeps better that way too. Three days of improved diet gives me obviously better laying. 

Just some ideas from my experience, there are others that know more.


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## Rosebud (Jul 11, 2010)

Thanks for the replys. I'm going to try the liver and I'll get a bag of oyster shells tomorrow when I go to the feed store. I keep and dry my egg shells for them but we don't eat that many eggs.


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