I haven't been able to find much on duck eggs. Chicken eggs sure. I assume much of it is the same but I had read somewhere that duck eggs because the shell is thicker can keep longer? I plan on leaving the bloom alone and just brushing off the muck for storage. For the fridge- how long do they usually keep? On the counter- how long do they usually keep? Any other tidbits anyone wants to share welcome, beyond welcome. I'd love to hear what you do. I have been buying my eggs farm fresh from a local farmer and he also does not wash them so I am totally comfortable with that. And I often will buy about 4-6 dozen at a time and work on them all month long.
I don't wash eggs, just brush them off. If I am giving them away, I'll refrigerate them right away. For us, keeping them in the basement, where it is relatively cool (50 to 60 degrees), they keep for weeks, just fine, based on my experience. If the counter is in a warm house, say 80 or 85 F, then I would not expect them to keep as long. Now, there is the official story from certain sources on eggs, which is they must be stored no warmer than 45F, and used within two weeks. You have probably heard that to check an egg you can put it in a tall glass of water. If it floats, don't eat it. Hard boiled duck eggs are easier to peel if they are at least two weeks old. I think it's Miss Lydia who steams eggs and that works out well. I eat them any old way. Try making custard or flan with them. Some think that duck eggs are nasty, and covered with poop. That can happen, especially (my bias is about to show) if they do not have clean living conditions. My ducks occasionally will lay an egg in a less than pristine area, but those are few and far between, so 23 out of 24 eggs are neat and clean when I gather them, with perhaps a speck of soil here or there.
Helen lays her egg in a new nesting spot almost daily so the egg is usually covered in a fine layer of dirt. I wipe off the dirt with a dry wash cloth before plopping it into an egg carton on the counter if I'm going to incubate or in the fridge if I'm going to eat them. As for thicker shells.... Helen has about the same thickness of shell as most chicken eggs I've eaten. *shrugs*
