Duck or chicken eggs?

[Heat]

How can you tell the difference?

My ducks are in with my hens and I have a suspicion I have been getting duck eggs without knowing.. I've noticed them in the nest the hens regularly use. This morning they were laying in a corner and stayed there at least 30 minutes after I opened the coop door. I checked before leaving to work and sure enough there were 2 white eggs there...

<--eggs I found

I've never bought duck eggs ... never tasted any either (have been excited to do so though!) So I have no idea what to look for.

And if it makes a difference my ducks are 9in month old Scovies.

Thanks for any help!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

How can you tell the difference?

My ducks are in with my hens and I have a suspicion I have been getting duck eggs without knowing.. I've noticed them in the nest the hens regularly use. This morning they were laying in a corner and stayed there at least 30 minutes after I opened the coop door. I checked before leaving to work and sure enough there were 2 white eggs there...

<--eggs I found

I've never bought duck eggs ... never tasted any either (have been excited to do so though!) So I have no idea what to look for.

And if it makes a difference my ducks are 9in month old Scovies.

Thanks for any help!!

Hard to tell by pic but Scovy eggs are very smooth and have a sheen to them. yours looks to be scovy but hard to tell by pic.color of scovy eggs are off white to khaki colored.

 

[Heat]

I am sorry the pic is a little fuzzy... they are definitely smooth. Not sure about a sheen...

Are they generally the same size as chicken eggs? Are the shells by chance harder than chicken eggs?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am sorry the pic is a little fuzzy... they are definitely smooth. Not sure about a sheen...

Are they generally the same size as chicken eggs? Are the shells by chance harder than chicken eggs?

Shells are much harder than chicken eggs, size wise can be larger depending on the chickens egg your comparing them too. I have some EE's that lay an egg as large but not as big around if that makes sense.

 

[zanelee]

My duck eggs are about the same size or larger, depending upon the breed.
Our chicken eggs look to have bigger "pores" on them, and the duck eggs seem to be smooth. Also, when cracked for use, the shell is incredibly thick and hard to crack. The yold and white are much thicker than a chickens too.
Hope this helps!
We eat duck and chicken eggs all the time. Love them!

 

[Heat]

Those sneaky buggers! They have been laying eggs with the chickens! Lol... I was pretty dumbfounded when I almost had to use a hammer to open some of the eggs... then they super thick egg whites...

Well I guess my ladies have been laying 2 or 3 months now!! Oh boy...

Thank you for the help! I am going to sort through my eggs tonight and try a duck egg separate from my chicken eggs

 

[HoustonChicks]

I know a lot about chickens, almost nothing about ducks (I thought they were interchangable, but now I know otherwise), but the neighbors' ducks have started staying in my nextdoor yard. I found several nests, usually at the base of tree stumps. The eggs have a different feel, waxy or slick, not as "dry" as chicken eggs, also usually bigger. I also see a dark circle at one end. I thought the egg was bad, but they all have this. I give away lots of eggs, so I tell folks, "They're fresh, but they have this circle." Duck people, what is this, please? I find duck egg yolks much less runny that chicken eggs, & shells thicker. To me, they taste the same. I also find chicken eggs in the same nests!

 

[GarDenFarmGirl]

Most of my chickens lay huge eggs, so I have eggs from my ducks and chickens that look about the same as far as size. But the duck eggs have an almost waxy covering to the shell, I can literally scratch the wax covering with a finger nail. My chicken eggs feel a little more "chalky", with none of the waxy smoothness - if that makes sense. Seems to me you just successfully completed a taste test that points out duck eggs are just as good to eat as chicken eggs - even if a little harder to get into! LOL

 

[Heat]

So I brought some eggs to work for one of my co-workers and now that I know what I am looking for, I found 4 duck eggs in her 18 pack...

<-- The 4 white ones on the left are ubber smooth and feel "waxy"

<--- I have a few hens who are egg peckers and like to crack or fissure my eggs (

) But I can see where they tried to get these and failed..
<--- see the scuff marks?


<--- One of my two ladies responsible for the eggs

So glad to know what to look for now!

 

[Miss Lydia]

So I brought some eggs to work for one of my co-workers and now that I know what I am looking for, I found 4 duck eggs in her 18 pack...

<-- The 4 white ones on the left are ubber smooth and feel "waxy"

<--- I have a few hens who are egg peckers and like to crack or fissure my eggs (

) But I can see where they tried to get these and failed..
<--- see the scuff marks?


<--- One of my two ladies responsible for the eggs

So glad to know what to look for now!

Hey I know the look of that water. LOL. yep those are your scovy eggs.