Getting sick from eggs - possible feed issue

[Eowyn421]

Hi folks! Would love help. My husband and I get ill (pain, diarrhea, vomiting) after eating our duck eggs. The eggs are cooked very thoroughly and checked very carefully with a thermometer. We are not allergic to duck eggs- we have eaten eggs from another breed just fine. These are Welsh Harlequins and we have eaten khaki Campbell eggs without problems. Anyway, we have had multiple stool samples taken. We were negative for parasites, Campylobacter, E.Coli, and Salmonella. I haven’t tested the ducks as it appears it would be several hundred dollars and require a long trip to the nearest lab. I have consulted with a vet and an agricultural food safety doctorate (who also contacted the USDA for help). It appears the problem should not be bacterial since we cook the eggs past 165 in the oven and follow all CDC safe handling practices for backyard flicks. So . . . What is the problem? We use payback brand organic feed and brewer’s yeast. Might that be what is bothering us? Should I change feeds? Or is there some other likely cause? The birds were gifted to me at a few days old. A women in my town was breeding her birds for the first time.

 

[SolarDuck]

I have no idea hopefully someone more educated can help. Have you ever tried putting them on a duck layer specific feed? That would probably be ideal. Mazuri makes a really good one available on chewy
https://www.chewy.com/mazuri-breeder-waterfowl-food-50-lb/dp/248789

 

[Percipen]

Were the ducks laying treated with antibiotics recently? I was reading the other day that eggs need to be thrown out for a few weeks after ducks are treated with antibiotics.

 

[Eowyn421]

I have no idea hopefully someone more educated can help. Have you ever tried putting them on a duck layer specific feed? That would probably be ideal. Mazuri makes a really good one available on chewy
https://www.chewy.com/mazuri-breeder-waterfowl-food-50-lb/dp/248789

Yes, thanks. I do plan to switch feeds soon. Meanwhile, I’ll just compost the eggs. I was using unmediated chicken feed (plus brewers yeast) because I had read that waterfowl feed is often old when you find it at the store (and I haven’t been able to find it). I hadn’t realized feed could be delivered. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Eowyn421]

Were the ducks laying treated with antibiotics recently? I was reading the other day that eggs need to be thrown out for a few weeks after ducks are treated with antibiotics.

No they’ve never had any

 

[Quatie]

Have you eaten the eggs before and not gotten sick? I am just wondering if there is a possibility you have an intolerance or allergy to duck eggs.

 

[kerbotx]

The Brewer's Yeast is more suspect than the feed, if the feed isn't obviously moldy, or the other things you are cooking with, like rancid oil. You mentioned having the ducks tested - would it be worthwhile to have their poop tested? *Also, do you collect the eggs every day - and do you wash them, refrigerate them, etc?

 

[KaleIAm]

Do you have another victim willing to eat your duck eggs? In the name of science?

 

[Sierra G]

Talk to your vet or the USDA about getting some of the eggs tested.

Also, even if you don't wash the eggs when you collect them, make sure you are washing them before you use them.

Finally, if you want to make sure you haven't developed an allergy to duck egg proteins you might get some duck eggs that aren't local and make sure they don't cause you any problems. Since eggs are used in the production of some vaccines it is possible to develop allergies without reacting to eggs directly.

If you figure out what's going on, please share the information. It sounds most like salmonella to me, but I'm not a pathologist (or any other kind of doctor).

 

[addctd2plnts]

As a human doctor, I'd suggest something different. This is because human doctors know if we tell a patient about a medication complication, especially if it's related to stomach issues, at least 50% of patients will automatically have the problems.That's why we often say, "If you have any problems with medication, call me", instead of telling you what complications are most common.

Can you get eggs from the Kahki Campbell ducks still? I'd have somebody else cook eggs and only the person delivering them know which ducks they came from. That way you can't be influenced by knowing. GI medicine is not my specialty. However, if you've cooked them, there should be no bacterial or parasite transmission. That only leaves allergic responses. Sometimes a person may not show an allergy for a bit, then once the immune system is primed, it can be a regular allergic response. But the human brain is truly a miracle. I can give you a sugar pill and if I warn you how a lot of people get sick and vomit when taking it, half or more, of the people will actually vomit! The more dramatic I am, the more people will get sick LOL

I suspect the actual proteins in the egg are the same. Therefore, you should not get sick from any duck eggs,if you had no problem with the first. The fact that you both react the same can also be placebo effect.