Duck egg, storage and handling.

[AKnewbie]

Our Daisy has started laying one egg a day.
With our chickens, they lay fairly clean eggs so I just collect them and refrigerate them.

While Daisy's eggs aren't as poopy as the first 2 that she laid, there is still some sort of dirt (poop?) coating on it.
Do I wash it? If so, does water temperature matter?
Do I want to refrigerate the egg if I am not eating it that same day?

 

[Wynette]

I wash mine if they are dirty - if you choose to do so (some folks do not wash until just before using), make sure to use warm water - water that is much warmer than the ambiant temp of the egg. If you use cool water, the bacteria from the dirt/poo can get drawn into the egg via the pores. I suspect there is much less chance of this with duck eggs as there is which chicken eggs, but why take a chance? They need not be refrigerated...I even have customers who ask that I do not refrigerate their weekly dozen at all, so their oldest eggs have been sitting out for a full week. (Of course I don't do this in the summer in extreme heat.)

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

we wash them and put them away in their cartons. Keeping deep hay or straw that is changed regularly will help keep the eggs cleaner. A cat litter box with pine shavings and hay or straw piled on top is a duck favorite around here.

 

[AKnewbie]

Thank you both.

CelticOaksFarm, when you say that the cat litter box with straw or hay is a favorite, are you referring to the ducks using that as a nesting box?