Fishy Duck Egg Conundrum

[Haazegirl]

So I've had my 2 Cayugas for 2 weeks or so and we're getting 1-2 eggs everyday. I bought adults and we keep them in a "duck tractor" so they get a fresh little plot of grass everyday. Their eggs smell a fishy and we get some blood spots in the eggs.

We feed them the same exact feed and water as the chickens, and so far we have only let them truly free range twice. We get no complaints or odors from the chicken eggs. Our feed is an organic mix of calcium, corn, barley, oats, and poultry vitamins. I could tell you more about the feed if my husband weren't in a tractor planting right now. Anyway, as another comparison. I was buying duck eggs from our friends before getting my own. They use the same feed as we do too! And they feed all their animals with it too, chickens, ducks, turkey... you name it. There was never a fishy smell from their eggs.

Is there anything I can do to improve the egg quality and dispel the odor? I haven't really eaten them yet, but I notice the odor when collecting and I attempted to make mayonnaise today. The yolks hold together fine, and we collect them right away in the morning. We collect eggs 2-3 times a day, so I know they are not going bad.

 

[70%cocoa]

Some chickens lay fishy eggs and it's thought to have a genetic cause, or genes in combination with canola or linseed in the feed. You could try a different feed but you may not be able to get rid of it. Do a bit of google researching if you haven't already. There's been a fair bit of work on this problem in the chicken egg industry.

 

[Oregon Blues]

You've only had them for 2 weeks. Maybe it was their feed or conditions before you got them. I suggest giving them some more time.

 

[Haazegirl]

I know it's common for duck eggs to get that smell and it's usually from diet. I'll have to look other places too. I did search the forum and read up on 5 other posts before making my own. They were in a pretty muddy/poopy pen with lots of other ducks. But with the weather being so cold and rainy I couldn't expect much more. I hope it dissipates with time. These are some of the first eggs they've ever laid.

How long do the previous conditions affect ducks?

Do their bodies get better at laying as they mature?

 

[Oregon Blues]

I don't know how long it takes to form the egg from start to finish, but 2-3 weeks wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility. Maybe Google would come up with a time frame.

Also, some foodstuff gets laid down in the fat and it takes awhile for it to work its way back out. Just an example, you don't want to feed fish to a pig in the last 5-6 weeks before butchering it. The fish flavor has to have time to work its way out of the body.

I've never had anything but really delicious duck eggs, but I've never bought an adult duck before, either. I sure hope your eggs get better for you as the ducks adjust to their new and better diet and living conditions.

 

[Haazegirl]

That's interesting about the pig! 5-6 Weeks. And ducks have a lot of fat, I never thought of it that way. I think it's working it's way out, the egg today wasn't as bad as the first two. I will probably order chicks from him the next time. I was almost going to blame the worms! It's been so rainy I figured they're loading up on worms! But the chickens eat those too.

We needed duck eggs without waiting a full year. I found out we are allergic to chicken eggs but not duck eggs (half of the fam). So I was after some that were laying already. There's so much more allergy friendly foods I can make with eggs! Between my son and I we are allergic to 9 different things. So one more usable ingredient is like adding a whole new world of possibilities!