care and good feed will compare favorably with hens in egg
producing ability. The Crested White duck is not a particularly good
layer. The Calls and the Black East India ducks will lay from 20 to 60
eggs per year, approaching the latter number if the eggs are collected
as laid and the ducks are not allowed to sit which will induce some of
them to continue to lay for quite a portion of the year. Extremely large
ducks of any breed do not lay as well as the more medium sized birds.
_Size of Duck Eggs._ The eggs of the different meat breeds will run
about the same in size with the exception of the Muscovy whose eggs run
a little larger. Actual weights of eggs from representative flocks show
Pekin, Rouen, Aylesbury and Cayuga eggs to average about 2-1/2 pounds per
dozen although there is a tendency for the Rouen eggs to run somewhat
larger and for Cayugas to run a little smaller. Muscovy eggs weigh about
3 pounds per dozen with selected large eggs weighing as high as 3-1/4
pounds. Eggs of the Runner duck are smaller but are considerably larger
than average hens' eggs or about the size of large Minorca eggs. They
weigh about 2 pounds per dozen. Eggs of the bantam breeds of ducks, the
Calls and the Black East India, together with those of the Mandarin and
Wood ducks will weigh from one pound to 1-1/2 pounds per dozen depending
upon the size of the ducks themselves. Eggs of the Mallard duck will run
from 26 to 32 ounces to the dozen. The size of eggs laid by ducks,
especially the bantam breeds and the Mallard can be increased somewhat
by liberal feeding. Average hens' eggs should weigh about 1-1/2 pounds per
dozen.
[Illustration: FIG. 3. Upper--Comparison of size of goose egg on the
left a black egg of a Cayuga duck in the center and a hen egg on the
right. Lower--Duck eggs--At the left is a Pekin duck egg, next a black
egg laid by a Cayuga duck, third a Muscovy egg, fourth a duck egg of
green color and on the extreme right the egg of a Runner duck.
(_Photographs from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of
Agriculture._)]
_Color of Eggs._ The color of duck eggs ranges from white to a polished
black. Pekin eggs run mostly white although some show a decided blue or
green tint. Aylesbury eggs run quite uniformly white. The color of Rouen
eggs varies from white to a dark green. The Cayuga produces very few
white eggs, most of them being green or black, some being as black as
though polished. Muscovy eggs run from a white to a greenish cream in
color. Th