Ancona Ducks

[AmandaVirus]

Our first Ancona egg! Just shy of 20 weeks. It's small but has a full shell, and I know the size will increase as she picks up steam with laying.

I wiped it down with a warm damp paper towel. Should I refrigerate it? Keep it on the counter?

Congrats! It should be refrigerated. I don't bother washing my ducks eggs unless they got poop on them. So I keep them at room temperature.

 

[winteree]

i have two anacona drakes free to a good home if anyone is in the Dallas TX area

 

[wildsam]

i have two anacona drakes free to a good home if anyone is in the Dallas TX area

You should put that in the free rehoming thread under buy/sell/trade. And maybe even in the Texas thread too. Good luck!

 

[winteree]

You should put that in the free rehoming thread under buy/sell/trade. And maybe even in the Texas thread too. Good luck!

yeah i have

 

[willowbirdks]

yeah i have

I know you can't have them listed on BYC and other sites at the same time, but if you've listed them a few days and gotten no bites, you might consider CL... That's how I ended up rehoming our extra drakes, in the farm animals thread there. It took less than 24 hours, and they are living at a nice farm as part of an all-drake flock.

I hope you can find a place for your boys, too!

 

[willowbirdks]

Congrats! It should be refrigerated. I don't bother washing my ducks eggs unless they got poop on them. So I keep them at room temperature.

So they only have to be refrigerated if we wipe them down? This one did seem a bit poopy... Not sure about this morning's, as my husband found it and put it in the fridge before I was even awake.

How long do they keep for if you don't wash and leave them out on the counter? Would they last longer in the fridge or at room temp with bloom still on?

 

[Alice28]

So they only have to be refrigerated if we wipe them down? This one did seem a bit poopy... Not sure about this morning's, as my husband found it and put it in the fridge before I was even awake.

How long do they keep for if you don't wash and leave them out on the counter? Would they last longer in the fridge or at room temp with bloom still on?

I know in Europe eggs at the store are next to te canned goods, not in the refrigerated section. The reason they are refrigerated here has to do with the cleaning process. If they aren't cleaned I know they can be left out, but not sure for how long. I also am not sure if that means just rinsing them off is still ok to leave out or if it means you can't clean them at all.... I'm sure you can google it

 

[AmandaVirus]

So they only have to be refrigerated if we wipe them down? This one did seem a bit poopy... Not sure about this morning's, as my husband found it and put it in the fridge before I was even awake.

How long do they keep for if you don't wash and leave them out on the counter? Would they last longer in the fridge or at room temp with bloom still on?

I've read if they get wet at all, they need to be refrigerated. I've also read that they last about three weeks at room temp, but that was chicken eggs, I'm sure duck eggs last longer. Ours get eaten quicker, though!

I think they last longer in the fridge, but I mostly bake with mine, so I like to keep them at room temp. It's really up to your personal preference. I also like to put them on "display" on the kitchen table, company always ask about them, and they are either intrigued or disgusted.

 

[khawdashhtchngs]

Question guys. On colors. If a Lilac male were bred to a black, blue, chocolate, and lavender female, what would be the offspring percentage outcomes of each?

 

[willowbirdks]

Sorry, I have no experience with breeding and colors... I'm a first time duck owner.

I have another question for those that have a bit more experience. My Ancona hen is 5 months old and started laying last week. She's been laying a day or two, then taking a day off. I'm chalking this up to her body still getting used to laying, etc... While still watching for any signs of egg binding. Is this normal, especially for a newly laying hen? How often do your Anconas lay?