Crud inside duck egg

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hi All, we have five female ducks: 4 Welsh Harlequin type layers, one Mallard. They are 1.5 yr old and there is no roo or drake. All laid really well last winter then all stopped in summer when one went broody, then they all molted. Two started back laying two months ago. One of those two (not sure which) had an odd grey blob in the egg. This continued for a few weeks, then the blob went away and her eggs looked normal. Just today, I found a smaller abnormality in an egg collected last week (see pic). It was near one side of the chalaza but seemed separate. I picked at it with a needle and these white clumps are somewhat clumped like cottage cheese or urates. The egg had no smell but I cooked it for the dog. We sell some duck eggs so I’m concerned that I’m going to sell someone a bad egg. Sources of these clumps that I can think of are shed ovarian or oviduct tissue or pus from infected tissue. I can’t really picture urates traveling from the cloaca up the oviduct to the infundibulum, though I guess it’s possible. I just wanted to see if anyone had thoughts on the source of this oddity and the safety of eating her eggs.

 

[tripletfeb]

I don't know about ducks but one of my chickens has been laying eggs like that since the summer. I pick it out if I can but I've been eating them with no problem I don't sell my eggs though, just give the extras to family.

 

[aart]

Looks like excess/funky membrane to me.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Looks like excess/funky membrane to me.

You can see the chalaza, where the albumin is anchored to the yolk membrane, below the “crud”. That has a wispy, membrane like quality. But the white flocculent material above it had a different consistency, almost like looser cottage cheese...

 

[aart]

You can see the chalaza, where the albumin is anchored to the yolk membrane, below the “crud”. That has a wispy, membrane like quality. But the white flocculent material above it had a different consistency, almost like looser cottage cheese...

Still could be

excess/funky

membrane/chalaza material.
Rare to see infection inside an egg.

 

[tripletfeb]

This is my chicken's egg that has the same gunk in it the OP's egg has. My hen has been laying these for months and is very healthy. Are you saying she has an infection in her eggs too? Just want to clarify!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

This is my chicken's egg that has the same gunk in it the OP's egg has. My hen has been laying these for months and is very healthy. Are you saying she has an infection in her eggs too? Just want to clarify!

I’m just trying to figure things out - definitely not saying that my duck or your chicken have an infection! Actually, from your picture, that white substance in your egg looks more like one side of the chalazae, which is where the egg white attaches to the yolk and is a normal egg structure. I think maybe my picture didn’t capture very well that my odd egg has a different looking structure...

 

[aart]

I think maybe my picture didn’t capture very well that my odd egg has a different looking structure...

You explained it well tho....separate and of a different texture.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Still could be

membrane/chalaza material.
Rare to see infection inside an egg.

Yes, that would be odd. I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention, but one of the ducks laid a series of much odder eggs a few months ago. These eggs had a distinct chunk of grey matter, maybe 1/2 x 1/4 inch next to the yolk. When I showed it to my hubby, he thought it looked like an embryo (which it couldn’t be. No drake and eggs collected daily). It was odd and unsavory; wish I’d taken a picture. The problem cleared on its own after a week, so I was guessing that it was a chunk of tissue shedding in the egg, like the “meat spots” that chicken eggs can have from bits of oviduct. However, I also worried that it could be a mild case of salpingitis, not bad enough to form a lash egg but enough to have infected debris shed... Guess I’ll just keep an eye on eggs and see if I can candle any of this so I don’t accidentally sell an unpleasant egg!

 

[aart]

so I don’t accidentally sell an unpleasant egg!

Do you sell a lot, to the general public?
I've informed my few customers, all friends, of the typical abnormalities and told them if they find anything disturbing to put the whole egg shell and all into a container in the fridge for me to see....only needed that once.