Duck or Chicken Eggs? {Pic added in post #6}

[elevan]

Yesterday and today I've found a "new egg" that I cannot identify and it seems "different".

It's being laid behind a gate in the barn which is a favorite spot for the chickens to lay their eggs and just recently I've noticed that the ducks too want to spend more time in the barn.

The egg is about the size of a medium chicken egg...and is an off white. I have hens that lay off white eggs and this is about the size for those chickens...but...

The egg "feels" smoother than the rest of my chicken eggs and the shape is slightly different than what I'm used to seeing from the girls that normally lay that color and size.

Now, here's why I'm confused...I have 2 hens that should start laying soon - this could be from one of them...but then again the ducks should start laying soon - this is the first time I've had ducks so no experience with their eggs previously....I keep reading online that duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs...so, do ducks lay "pullet" eggs when they start out?

What do you think? Are the mystery eggs from the ducks or the young hens?

 

[FeatheredObsessions]

Duck eggs have a thicker more waxy looking shell....

 

[elevan]

Quote:
It doesn't "look" waxy...but it "feels" super slick...

Man, I'm not making any sense...

I've seen a friends muscovy eggs...and these eggs are nothing like those...

Am I to assume that they are from one of the pullets, then?

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

size and color dont mean much, just like chickens, different breeds can lay different eggs.
One quick and easy way to know a duck egg, and a blind man can do it, is like you were saying, by feel. From what you discribed, it's a duck egg.
Ducks put a very heavy bloom on the eggs, the protective coating on the external shell.
This is because of how wet the hens are all the time, they basically water proof theirs.

So when a duck lays an egg, in your hand it will feel slick and almost waxy.

where a chicken egg, well we all know the texture of them.

Shape of the egg tells a lot too, most duck eggs, especially domestic breeds are more evenly shaped from end to end, where a chicken usually has a definate round end and pointed end. The ducks are more of a uniformed oval shaped egg.

Most duck eggs in color are from off white to deep green, with various blue/green shades between breeds.


Hope that helped ID it for you.
A pic would help us.

 

[FeatheredObsessions]

Muscovy lay a very large egg compared to many of the mallard type ducks. I missed what type of ducks and hens you have. Some of the ducks will lay small eggs the size of large chicken eggs. I think chicken eggs have a watery looking color to them. maybe like a chicken egg with oil on it. I am not using the best words Im sure.

 

[elevan]

Ok, here's a picture. We have East India ducks and a couple of barnyard mix ducks (about the size of pekins, I guess).

The 2 mystery eggs are on the LEFT and the 2 on the right are from a hen who lays off white medium eggs:

I did a blind test (closed my eyes) and put one of the mystery eggs in one hand and a known chicken egg in the other and felt them. The chicken egg offered "resistance" to my fingers and the other egg allowed my fingers to glide over it with no resistance.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

far left 100% DUCK
Second looks same just lighter in color. If it feels slick too, it's a duck. Like I said, slim egg is a duck egg, chickens arent.
based off the size, I'd say it's from your black east indies, peking sized birds would lay a hand sized egg, those look pretty small, if they are they are the Indies.

 

[elevan]

Quote:
Far left egg is from today...the one next to it is from yesterday and they both have that slick feel. Our black East Indies are pretty small, so that makes sense.

Thanks for the help!

 

[animalpro24]

If your pekin was laying her eggs would be twice those sizes.