This study was conducted to research the effects of different restricted feeding amounts on the performance and hatching indices in meat-type breeder ducks during the laying period. A total of 3 200 SM3 Cherry Valley breeder ducks (female 2 600, male 600) aged 40 weeks were randomly divided into four treatments with five replicates per treatment and 160 ducks (female 130, male 30) per replicate. A corn-soybean meal-wheat feed (ME 11.5 MJ/kg, CP 18%) was used as a basal diet. The largest daily feeding amount per duck (225 g) was given to the ducks of treatment 1 (T1), and the daily feeding amounts per duck of the other treatments were decreased 15 g in turn and were 210 (T2), 195 (T3) and 180 g (T4), respectively. The study lasted for 35 days. The results showed as follows: 1) when daily feeding amount per duck was decreased from 225 to 210 g, the body weight gain (BWG) of male and female ducks was decreased significantly (P<0.05), the laying rate had a slight rise (P>0.05), and the egg weight had a slight drop (P>0.05). When daily feeding amount per duck was constantly decreased to 195 or 180 g, not only BWG of male and female ducks, but also laying rate and egg weight were significantly decreased (P<0.05). 2) Regression analysis showed that the BWG of male and female ducks, laying rate and egg weight had the linear or the quadratic relationship with the daily feeding amount per duck (P<0.05), and the laying rate had a significant quadratic relationship with egg weight, too (P<0.05). 3) The daily feeding amounts per duck had no significant effects on the mortality, qualified rate of hatching eggs, fertility rate, rate of healthy duckling, hatchability of hatching eggs and hatchability of fertile eggs of ducks (P>0.05). These results indicate that suitable quantitative feed restriction can decrease the BWG of ducks, and increase the laying rate, but excessive restricted feeding can negatively affect the performance of ducks.