My baby just laid first egg I have questions

[Duckiemom524]

How soon do I refrigerate them. How long are they good for? My ducks both are female just eat flock raiser crumbles mixed with 25% oatmeal. Do I need to add something now that she is laying eggs? Or change to a new food? Anything else I need to be aware of. This is all new and exciting.

 

[jb1989]

usually when mine start laying i will introduce another feeder with Layena pellets and give them the option and will start slowly cutting back on flock raiser. some people have mentioned giving oyster shells as a option , but i never have with my ducks and they do fine , layena has all the good stuff they should need.
its good practice to pick the eggs up (usually mid morning ) or whenever they lay and put them in the fridge , at least that is what i do , or throw them straight into the pan and eat up !
if you have trouble getting them to lay in one spot , get a few ceramic eggs and place them in the nesting area and they should develop a habit of laying in one spot.
glad your getting wonderful duck eggs !
as far as shelf life , if i have eggs that are sitting over 3 or 4 weeks , i will hard boil them and they are good for a week in that state (in a sealed container refrigerated ) or use them for baking . good rule is try not eat any after 6 weeks or so.
enjoy !

 

[Kkrista123]

Another good rule to keep in mind is in summer you don't want to let them get hot but in winter, don't worry about them freezing. If they freeze, they will be a little bit more rubbery in texture but still taste the same and 100% safe to eat! After they're outside and cold though (refrigerated temps) you need to bring them in and refrigerate them. Once eggs are cold, the must stay cold!

 

[WVduckchick]

Duck eggs make the best brownies!
I think duck eggs make any baked foods better! Just be careful with recipes, because duck eggs are usually bigger than most recipes call for. You can reduce other liquids a little, or remove part of the egg white, if necessary.

I keep eggs on my kitchen counter for up to a month. Then I rotate them out, boil the oldest ones and smash them (shells and all) and give back to the chickens/ducks. If the 2 ducks are all you have, you will probably be able to eat them quick enough to not worry about all that.

As far as feed, if the shells are firm enough with flock raiser, it’s ok to keep them on that. Or you can switch them over to a good layer feed.