When can we start eating our ducks eggs?

[kstes347]

So, as I mentioned in a few posts ago, our oldest lady duck just started laying eggs!

I'm wondering when we can start eating them? It weirds me out a little to think about picking it up out of the coop and cracking it open into the frying pan, any tips on how to clean them & store them for healthiest results?

And should we wait until she has laid for a couple of weeks, or does it not really matter?

Thanks for any help, it's kind of hard finding concrete info about this stuff!

 

[WVduckchick]

Me again! We've eaten the eggs, baked with the eggs and handed them out to friends to try! All going well so far until today! I've been taking their eggs every day as I don't want any ducklings but, today I've discovered a hidden nest in the corner with 4 eggs in!

If I take the eggs away will this upset them?

They could be collecting to start to brood, but if you don't want to let them, then take the eggs. They may complain for a minute, but they'll get over it

 

[dotknott]

Hi! Our ducks have just started laying, we have 2 female Cayuga and 1 drake, and I was wondering how you know which ones to eat and which ones to hatch? We've found 4 so far in 2 days so I think both girls are working together!

Hi! Generally, you don't know which ones are fertilized. There isn't a way of telling unless you crack open the egg or incubate it..

Here's a good photo of the bullseye that you want to look for in the eggs you're going to eat. If you see that bulls eye, your drake is doing his job. http://herouxpotager.com/2016/blogposts/how-to-hatching-duck-eggs/#sourcingeggs

 

[WVduckchick]

Hi! Our ducks have just started laying, we have 2 female Cayuga and 1 drake, and I was wondering how you know which ones to eat and which ones to hatch? We've found 4 so far in 2 days so I think both girls are working together!

@plymouthduckmum
Even if fertile you can still eat them they taste no different than non fertile. But if your thinking of doing some hatching I believe you should wait 2 weeks from start of lay before incubating to make sure the drake is hitting his mark. 

Lets ask @WVduckchick
if she knows

Congrats on fresh eggs.

If he is doing his job, the very first eggs she lays could be fertile. They are all edible. Sometimes young layers take a while to get the egg ideal for hatching... Size, shell quality, etc. Even first yolks may not be as big as they get later.

But technically, the very first egg "could" be hatched.

I would suggest cracking the first couple or few, and check the yolk for a "bullseye" to determine fertility. Unless you are wanting to incubate them. If you want to incubate them, then pop them in the incubator and check them in 5 or 6 days!

 

[plymouthduckmum]

? Did I miss something?

No, just me pressing the wrong button!

 

[dotknott]

OH OH I see you added a line inside the part that was quoting me.

You're welcome! BTW.. it's not such a silly question.. It's not like we just have this knowledge in our brain space! We had to learn it, either through experience, or by being informed by others!

Always be asking!

 

[plymouthduckmum]

That's great thank you! I'll get hubby to take them so they don't think I'm mean

 

[gryeyes]

You can eat the very first egg.

I stored my ducks' eggs on the kitchen counter, just like the chicken eggs from my flock. I do wipe the duck eggs off if they're muddy, with a dry dish towel. If I found an egg in the kiddie pool, I discarded it.

LOVE duck eggs! The flavor is more rich than chicken eggs. And boy, howdy, do they make great baked desserts!

 

[DB_Tex]

This recipe for flourless chocolate cake SPARKLED thanks to my duck eggs: http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/flourless-chocolate-cake-3/

My duck eggs manage to get messy a lot so I scrub them off in warm water with a splash of white vinegar, then I store them in the fridge to be sold or given away.

 

[Miss Lydia]

This recipe for flourless chocolate cake SPARKLED thanks to my duck eggs: http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/flourless-chocolate-cake-3/

My duck eggs manage to get messy a lot so I scrub them off in warm water with a splash of white vinegar, then I store them in the fridge to be sold or given away.

That looks yummy, did you use 6 ducks eggs in the rescipe? asking because they are so much larger thanb duck eggs.