Duck Eggs and when to eat them

[M5pekin]

How long can a duck egg be left in the nest before being collected and still be edible? How do people typically clean and store their duck eggs and what is the shelf life for those methods?

Any tips or information on how to properly collect, store, eat and or use duck eggs would be awesome!

 

[Abraeri]

We collect the eggs right after we let them out in the morning. I'm not sure how long you can leave them out - I guess it would depend on temperature, humidity, etc.

In the summer we usually put the eggs in the fridge a day after collection because it is very hot and humid and we don't want to take chances. However, in the winter you can leave them out for a week (maybe 2 I don't remember ) and they will be fine. Duck egg shells are tougher than chicken eggs so they do store outside much better.

As far as eating goes you can pretty much do whatever you can do with a chicken egg - scrambled, omelet, hard-boiled, poached, etc. Duck eggs are especially good for baking due to the higher protein content which makes for fluffier cakes!

 

[rjohns39]

Ducks are notorious for hiding eggs, so when you find a clutch they could be same day or month old. I crack mine into a bowl before using them. I've had very few bad ones--but I've also had a couple stinkers. Always smell your eggs upon collection and prior to cracking. You'll have no doubt if you have a stinker. I try to give them fresh straw to nest in, which yields cleaner eggs. If muddy & poopy I wash and refrigerate. I use an egg brush for cleaning. And always be sure water is at least 20 degrees warmer than egg. Minimize water contact. I find if I keep them in their night time shelter until 9:00AM they are pretty much done laying. If I let them out earlier, I'll find eggs everywhere. Even after 9, some like to drop eggs where they stand.

 

[Abraeri]

Ducks are notorious for hiding eggs, so when you find a clutch they could be same day or month old. I crack mine into a bowl before using them. I've had very few bad ones--but I've also had a couple stinkers. Always smell your eggs upon collection and prior to cracking. You'll have no doubt if you have a stinker. I try to give them fresh straw to nest in, which yields cleaner eggs. If muddy & poopy I wash and refrigerate. I use an egg brush for cleaning. And always be sure water is at least 20 degrees warmer than egg. Minimize water contact. I find if I keep them in their night time shelter until 9:00AM they are pretty much done laying. If I let them out earlier, I'll find eggs everywhere. Even after 9, some like to drop eggs where they stand.

Haha, the dropping eggs where they stand is true. I had one lay an egg standing on our concrete driveway, breaking it. Them silly things. While they do hide their eggs in their coop I usually find it buried underneath the same day. However, if you find the egg outside it might be a different story. Sometimes you will find eggs that are still warm, so you now those were recently laid (unless it was in the sun). We've only had 1 bad egg so far.

 

[HanBrand]

Ducks are notorious for hiding eggs, so when you find a clutch they could be same day or month old. I crack mine into a bowl before using them. I've had very few bad ones--but I've also had a couple stinkers. Always smell your eggs upon collection and prior to cracking. You'll have no doubt if you have a stinker. I try to give them fresh straw to nest in, which yields cleaner eggs. If muddy & poopy I wash and refrigerate. I use an egg brush for cleaning. And always be sure water is at least 20 degrees warmer than egg. Minimize water contact. I find if I keep them in their night time shelter until 9:00AM they are pretty much done laying. If I let them out earlier, I'll find eggs everywhere. Even after 9, some like to drop eggs where they stand.

. My ducks have just started laying so I have lots of questions. Why can't you use cold water to clean them?? Is it true that their shells are more pourous than chickens and their dropping can soak in and cause salmonella?

 

[HanBrand]

We collect the eggs right after we let them out in the morning. I'm not sure how long you can leave them out - I guess it would depend on temperature, humidity, etc.



In the summer we usually put the eggs in the fridge a day after collection because it is very hot and humid and we don't want to take chances. However, in the winter you can leave them out for a week (maybe 2 I don't remember ) and they will be fine. Duck egg shells are tougher than chicken eggs so they do store outside much better.

As far as eating goes you can pretty much do whatever you can do with a chicken egg - scrambled, omelet, hard-boiled, poached, etc. Duck eggs are especially good for baking due to the higher protein content which makes for fluffier cakes!

Do I need to wash my duck eggs as soon as I collect them? I read that the shells are more pourous and their mess can cause salmonella. Is this true?

 

[rjohns39]

If the water is colder (less than 20 degrees warmer than the egg) it will drive the stuff on the outside, inside. You don't have to wash them right away, a lot of people wait to wash until right before they eat them. Washing will remove the protective bloom, so once washed either eat or refrigerate.

 

[HanBrand]

If the water is colder (less than 20 degrees warmer than the egg) it will drive the stuff on the outside, inside. You don't have to wash them right away, a lot of people wait to wash until right before they eat them. Washing will remove the protective bloom, so once washed either eat or refrigerate.

Oh I see. I better be careful with the 3 eggs I have so far them. I did give them a quick rinse off in cold is water and they are not in the fridge :S thanks for the advice

 

[rjohns39]

Those are good candidates to be boiled and fed back to the girls. I smash them up so they no longer look like what was laid.

 

[stuka123]

I read that if you take a bowl of cool water and put in your eggs to check for freshness...
Any floaters are bad, the ones that stay on the bottom or stand up are perfectly fine.