Duck egg question

[Guernsy]

My ducks started laying eggs. I can not figure out which duck is laying what egg, but I guess that doesn't really matter.
First I had two eggs, then I had one egg every day, now I have two eggs again. The shape is slightly different, therefore, I have the feeling that one egg must be coming from a Pekin and one from the Runner. To say, I have 2 white Pekin and 2 black Runner ducks.
All 4 share the coop and I find the eggs in their coop, just laying in the straw in the morning. This morning the two eggs were slightly damaged. It looked like that one of the ducks stepped on it and punctured the egg with its foot. The shell was just a little dented.
Can I still eat those damaged eggs?
Do they need nesting boxes like the chickens?
Also, can you boil duck eggs like you boil chicken eggs (hard boil)?
Do you prefer duck eggs over chicken eggs and why or why not?

My ducks also share a run with my chickens. They all pretty much eat the same food (organic chicken layer feed). They have duck pellets available to them, however I can not tell, what food they will eat, since they are hungry all the time and might just eat out of the chicken feeder as well.
I also have seen them eat a lot of the oyster shells that are next to the chicken food.

Should the ducks eat different food now that they are laying eggs? Is it bad that they are eating the chicken layer food? If yes, how can I get them not to eat it?
Is it ok that the ducks eat the oyster shells? (They actually seem to enjoy it since they eat a lot of it).

Thanks

 

[Callender Girl]

First, congratulations that your girls are laying. I don't eat damaged eggs because I think bacteria can slip into even the smallest crack or dent.

My ducks don't have nest boxes. They tend to make little depressions in the straw or wood shavings in their shelter. In fact, sometimes, one of the runners will simply drop her egg right in the middle of the yard when they are out for the day.

I certainly hard boil duck eggs -- and cook them over easy and scramble them. I eat more duck than chicken eggs because many of the folks who get my eggs seem unreasonably squeamish about eating duck eggs. A few have been converted, and one family won't bake with anything but duck eggs.

I try to keep ducks and chickens separate at feeding times, but when everyone is loose, inevitably, ducks will run into the coops and scavenge any leftover chicken feed. So, far it hasn't seemed to hurt them, and the first year I had ducks, I didn't know enough to give them an all-flock feed.

My runners also love to devour the calcium I set out for the chickens. In fact, my runners, like yours, seem to eat anything and everything and are constantly hungry.

Hope this gives you some useful answers.

 

[neo71665]

I wouldn't eat damaged eggs for above said reason. I don't even eat damaged chicken eggs.

My ducks (mallards) lived on my farm pond. Unless they were broody they just dropped the egg anywhere they were standing. I've found eggs anywhere from the middle of my cow pasture to having to wade in the pond to get it. Not sure they would care about a nest box.

An egg is an egg. I've ate all kinds of eggs from quail to an emu. If you are used to chicken eggs duck eggs to me are richer. If you can eat 2 chicken eggs for breakfast you might find only one duck egg will work the same.

I actually like quail eggs the most, duck eggs 2nd, goose eggs 3rd, and finally chicken eggs. I just don't care how dirty ducks and geese can be so I quit raising them.

Can't help ya on keeping them with chickens. My ducks free ranged on our farm pond. My chickens live in their run. My mallards were garbage disposals. They would hang out under my skunk pen and eat all the dog food he would drop. They would get jump up in the trough I fed my horse in and eat with him. They went in the barn and run the cat off and eat all her feed, 50 mallards can be a force to reckon with.

 

[Guernsy]

I wouldn't eat damaged eggs for above said reason. I don't even eat damaged chicken eggs.

My ducks (mallards) lived on my farm pond. Unless they were broody they just dropped the egg anywhere they were standing. I've found eggs anywhere from the middle of my cow pasture to having to wade in the pond to get it. Not sure they would care about a nest box.

An egg is an egg. I've ate all kinds of eggs from quail to an emu. If you are used to chicken eggs duck eggs to me are richer. If you can eat 2 chicken eggs for breakfast you might find only one duck egg will work the same.

I actually like quail eggs the most, duck eggs 2nd, goose eggs 3rd, and finally chicken eggs. I just don't care how dirty ducks and geese can be so I quit raising them.

Can't help ya on keeping them with chickens. My ducks free ranged on our farm pond. My chickens live in their run. My mallards were garbage disposals. They would hang out under my skunk pen and eat all the dog food he would drop. They would get jump up in the trough I fed my horse in and eat with him. They went in the barn and run the cat off and eat all her feed, 50 mallards can be a force to reckon with.

What is a skunk run? You keep skunks? I would love to just have them free roam and have them separate from the chickens. We would have the space, but we also have raccoons, foxes, and other critters. I am worried they would get eaten or hurt. A long time ago when we lived in Palo Alto (which is a very dense community) we used to have two Pekins. My husband did not put them away into their coop for one night because they were so happy by their little pond. They had a dog house with straw to sleep in right next to a little pond, however, usually we would look them away every night into a pen at night. The next morning they were slaughtered by some animal, probably raccoon. So now I am worried about leaving them out at night. Now we live in a more rural area too. With skunks, raccoons, foxes, etc lol

 

[neo71665]

I used to have a pet skunk. He died of old age a few years ago. Now I just have the 2 pet coons.