Wood ducks start to lay eggs between 5 to 7 months of life, and usually lay eggs each year between the months of January to May at the latest, depending on the climate.
Some wood duck hens will lay eggs at a younger age if they are forced to. However, the eggs laid early in life are usually not as good quality of eggs.
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How Many Eggs Do Wood Duck Lay?
Wood sucks are absolutely not a prolific layer, such as the call duck for example, usually producing somewhere between 10 to 15 eggs each year. The whole nesting process will last just more than one month considering the incubation period of 28 days.
They will hatch around 1/2 eggs per day in a 10/15 days period.
However, the number of eggs a wood duck will lay in one season will not necessarily be the same as the number of eggs she will lay in another.
What Color Are Wood Duck Eggs?
Wood ducks lay light brown eggs, so what the average duck egg color is. However, the color of the shell will be lighter in younger birds, and darker as the bird matures.
There can be variations in the shade of the shells, but most of the time they will be brown with some spots.
How Long Do Wood Ducks Lay Eggs?
They have a life expectancy of 3 to 4 years, not the most long-lived of all domestic ducks, like most of the duck breeds they will have their peak fertility in the first year of life and their fertility will start to decrease during their second year of life and drop off at the third where they will likely stop laying eggs.
It’s safe to say that wood ducks are not the breed to choose if you are planning to keep laying eggs for years and years.
Different Facts About Wood Ducks
Wood ducks are generally very docile, but they can be aggressive if they feel threatened. The males tend to become aggressive during the breeding season, so it is recommended that you have a separate dry area for them to breed if you are only breeding one male and one female.
They will not normally attack humans, but in extreme cases where the wood duck feels threatened it could deliver a crushing bite or even peck with its sharp bill.
These ducklings will become sexually mature between 1-2 years of age and breeding pairs should be separated from other ducks so that there is no harassment from their peers while they are mating and rearing their young.
Wood Duck Size And Appearance – Male Vs Female
The average adult wood duck can weigh up to 1 pound or 0.5 kg which is relatively small considering its large size, being approximately 19-22 in or 48-56 cm long.
The females tend to be slightly longer than the males, with a slightly larger tail surface area as well making them look larger overall than the males. They generally have a very long neck with a flared head that narrows down towards the bottom of their heads. Their legs are long and slender giving them much more contact with their surroundings as they walk around on land compared to many other ducks that spend most of their time in water.
Their plumage includes different shades of brown and gray feathers all over their body allowing them to camouflage into any environment well quickly which helps protect them from predators hunting for food.
In Summary
Wood ducks lay around 10/15 eggs per clutch and the incubation period is about 28 days. They are sexually mature at the very young age of 5/7 months old and usually live around 4 years, this makes them not a really good breed to raise for egg production, only being able to lay small numbers in their life.
However they do make great pets being very friendly, calm and quiet making them a great addition to any family!
