How Often Do Pekin Ducks Lay Eggs? (Expectations)

Pekin ducks are not your typical egg-laying duck. They’re much larger, more of a “classic duck” shape and they are less likely to roam or lay eggs in interesting places. This, along with the larger egg size and pure white color of the eggs, is usually why they are sometimes still chosen as an egg-laying duck on smaller farms. However, these nice traits may not make up for the slow rate at which a Pekin duck often lays eggs.

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How Often Do Pekin Ducks Lay Eggs? (The Short Answer)

The average Pekin duck will lay an egg every 3 days, resulting in about 120 eggs a year, if encouraged to lay through the winter and does not include the first year of production. With good genetics, nutrition, and management a Pekin duck can nearly double this rate of production to as many as 200 eggs per year.

When Do Pekin Ducks Lay Eggs? (Daily, Weekly, and Times of Year)

Pekin ducks are usually raised as meat ducks and their egg production is typically a byproduct rather than the main focus. However, some small farms like to raise them as a combination of both meat and egg production. This is made easier by the fact that Pekins, being a larger duck, can safely begin laying eggs at just 20 to 24 weeks of age- about 4 weeks sooner than other ducks.

How Many Eggs Do Pekin Ducks Lay in a Year?

With good genetics and when managed for egg production, a Pekin duck should lay as many as 200 eggs per year. While this is lower than the “200 to 300” estimate provided on many hobby blogs, it is the number found with the NSW agricultural extension office and the number given by Metzer farms, one of the largest suppliers of ducks in the US. It is also very close to the numbers I have seen personally. With poor genetics for egg-laying or as an average, you should get up to 120 Pekin duck eggs per year on a good year.

How Many Eggs Do Pekin Ducks Lay a Month?

Using the criteria given above, a good Pekin for egg laying will lay about 16 eggs a month. A poor Pekin for egg-laying, with no interventions to keep them laying through the winter, will only lay about 10 eggs per month.

How Many Eggs Do Pekin Ducks Lay a Week?

A good Pekin for egg-laying should lay about 4 eggs a week. With poor management and genetics, the average Pekin will lay about 2 to 3 eggs per week.

How Many Eggs Do Pekin Ducks Lay a Day?

A Pekin duck with excellent genetics and proper nutrition and light will lay an egg about every 2 out of 3 days. The average Pekin will lay an egg about once every 3 days.

What Time of Year Will a Pekin Duck Lay Eggs?

Pekin ducks will lay eggs as long as temperatures are kept above about 40F and they get about 10 hours of sunlight or a replacement for sunlight each day. If no heat or light is added to the coop or shelter, Pekin ducks will stop laying eggs anywhere that there is a natural, cold winter.

How Long Does it Take for a Pekin Duck to Start Laying Eggs?

From the time they hatch to the first egg they lay is about 20 weeks for a Pekin duck. This is a few weeks faster than the average for all ducks.

How Long Will a Pekin Duck Lay Eggs?

Once your Pekin duck begins to lay eggs, it will keep doing so for about 5 years, with only a 15% drop in production during the fifth year. Poor health and stress can drastically reduce this period of optimal egg production. After the fifth year and through the 7th, egg production may drop by as much as 50% per year until it stops altogether.

Factors That Affect How Often Your Pekin Ducks Lay Eggs

How often Pekin ducks lay eggs is controlled by 9 primary factors. However, once you have a good management plan in place, you should be able to use the same plan for the life of your Pekin ducks.

Light

Light is the primary factor that determines when a duck will lay an egg, Pekin duck or not. Ducks need about 10 hours of sunlight a day to stay in laying mode. If they don’t get enough light, they may think it is winter or the off-season and take a break from laying eggs.

While a break isn’t bad and can help prolong the overall egg-laying period or encourage layers that have begun to lay fewer eggs to resume their usual production, it will bring down the average egg totals in the short term.

Genetics

Other than light, genetics are the second most important factor when it comes to how many eggs any duck, but especially Pekins, lay each year. As stated earlier in the article, Pekins are usually bred to be meat ducks and not for egg production. Getting your duck from a flock that has a track record for steady and frequent egg production is key to having a Pekin that’s good at laying eggs.

Temperature and Weather

If it’s too cold or too hot and this is stressing out your Pekin duck, it will lay fewer eggs. Further, cold means an egg-laying duck will have different nutritional needs than it will during other weather conditions.

Space

Ducks that are kept in a cramped environment may stop laying eggs as there is nowhere to keep them. A laying duck, especially one with a strong maternal instinct, requires several square feet inside of the coop for themselves as well as each other duck. Crowding may also lead to egg-breaking or egg-eating behaviors and should be avoided.

Health

A sick duck will stop laying eggs. Sicknesses can result from lack of water, allergies, mites, and injuries. Egg production should resume once the health issue has been resolved and the duck has had enough time to regain proper nutrient and energy levels.

Nutrition

Ducks have a high calcium need whether they are laying or not. Pekin ducks are poor foragers compared to other ducks, particularly egg-laying breeds. Without consistent supplementation and monitoring, your egg production from Pekins may drop significantly.

Access to Clean, Deep Water

Pekin ducks, like all ducks, need access to clean, deep water. This water should be deep enough for them to stick their head in and submerge it completely. This allows them to breathe easily, keep their sensitive lungs and airways from debris, preen properly, and clean their nares.

Social Stability and Stress

If a duck (female duck) is bullied, lonely, or constantly pestered by drakes, she will no longer lay eggs until this stress is relieved. Predators and loud noises can also cause stress that will disrupt the egg-laying cycle.

Age of Your Pekin Duck

Pekin ducks begin laying eggs at about 20 weeks of age. They will not ramp up to full production for 4 to 6 months after this. Once they do reach a steady level of production, this should continue for about 4 to 5 more years. Egg production will then dwindle each year until they stop laying completely at 7 to 9 years of age.

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