Bountiful BackYard

several management factors play a crucial role. Based on the information found, here are key areas to focus on:

**1. Nutrition:**

  * Provide good quality, fresh feed with proper nutrient levels. Avoid feed with molds or insect damage.

  * Ensure the proper quantity of feed. For maximum production, ducks need limited feed from 3 weeks until they are laying well to prevent them from becoming overweight, which can negatively impact egg production, fertility, and hatchability. Gradually increase feed as day length increases (see lighting below).

  * Once they are laying at about 40% production, you can start giving them as much as they want to eat, ideally cleaning up their feed daily but having it available most of the day.

  * If raising ducks in the spring, they might start laying eggs sooner, resulting in smaller eggs. Reducing feed levels can help prevent more ducks from starting early egg production. Early lay doesn’t affect their health or longevity.

**2. Water:**

  * Provide good, clean water. While ducks can tolerate less-than-ideal water, it doesn’t promote excellent egg production.

  * Contrary to popular belief, swimming water isn’t necessary for them to prosper, but if you can manage the dirty water that results from swimming, it can increase fertility.

**3. Lighting:**

  * Proper lighting is essential. An increasing day length (January – June) brings sexually mature ducks into egg production, while a decreasing day length (July-December) slows or stops it.

  * To maintain egg production, supplement natural light with artificial light in the morning and evening to provide a total of 17 hours of light per day for laying ducks.

  * Once birds are 20-23 weeks old (smaller breeds at 20, larger at 23), gradually increase day length using artificial light, ideally with a time clock. Start by adding about one hour to the natural day length, then add another 45 minutes each week until you reach 17 hours of light. This allows for seven hours of darkness.

**4. Lack of Stress:**

  * Ducks thrive on routine. Maintain consistency in their daily schedule, feeding times, egg collection, and environment. They can get used to almost anything if it happens regularly, but changes in diet, bedding, or routine can cause production problems.

**5. Broodstock Quality and Male:Female Ratio:**

  * Fertility is affected by the quality of your breeding stock. Use breeds with good genetic characteristics at optimal ages.

  * The male:female ratio is important. For Muscovy ducks, a ratio of one drake to five ducks is commonly used, although ratios of one to four or even one to six (if males are scarce) have been used satisfactorily. Larger ratios (1:4.3 to 1:10) can significantly reduce egg fertility.

**6. Environmental Temperature:**

  * High environmental temperatures above the optimal range for thermal comfort can negatively impact productive performance and fertility. Heat stress can decrease germ cells, ovular release, fertilization, embryo survival, and sperm quality. Fertility tends to be higher in cooler months compared to summer.

**7. Storage Time:**

  * The time eggs are stored before incubation significantly affects fertility, hatchability, and early embryo mortality. Fertility decreases in duck eggs stored for more than six days before incubation.

**8. Housing System:**

  * The housing system can influence fertility. Systems that allow for mass mating and provide access to swimming can significantly increase fertility, as ducks are waterfowl and prefer to mate in water. Egg weight can also improve fertility, and water access can positively affect egg weight and, consequently, fertility.

By carefully managing these factors, you can create an environment that encourages your Muscovy ducks to produce more fertile eggs.