Everything you need to know about duck eggs

Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Michelle

I’m often asked “What are duck eggs like?” And of course everyone is curious how duck eggs compare to chicken eggs. So today I’m breaking it all down, itemizing why many folks prefer duck eggs (they definitely garner a higher price tag) and all the pros and cons I see to every factor.

Everything You Need to Know About Duck Eggs

First, let’s get the obvious questions out of the way…

Can you eat duck eggs?

I was surprised when a follower on instagram asked me this last week. In the end I think she was confused about what WAYS to eat them, but even so, I was surprised that duck eggs are seen as so unusual or foreign to many folks. In short, YES!! you can definitely eat (and LOVE) duck eggs.

Why are duck eggs not sold in stores?

I think the main reason you can’t find duck eggs in your local grocery store is simply supply and demand. Chicken eggs are the more common, well-known egg and they’re what folks expect to find at the store. Also, duck eggs are much larger and harder to use in recipes that are written with a standard-size chicken egg in mind.  So stores supply what their customers are wanting.

Why do chefs prefer duck eggs?

Duck eggs are higher in fat than chicken eggs, so their taste is a bolder, richer taste, which tends to shine in many dishes. No wonder chefs tend to prefer duck eggs over chicken eggs.

Are duck eggs good to eat?

Yes, duck eggs are good to eat. They’re good for you and they’re a very rich taste, making your baked goods extraordinary.

Now, I’ll share all the pros and cons on each topic surrounding duck eggs…

Duck eggs taste different than chicken eggs.

Folks love the richer flavor that duck eggs offer. (Sidenote:  Duck eggs are less watery than chicken eggs, so be careful when frying them, because an overcooked duck egg tends to be rubbery.)

Pro: Many people prefer the taste of duck eggs, describing them as “richer” tasting than chicken eggs. But if I’m scrambling duck eggs, I will always mix them in with chicken eggs. Then–when they’re mixed with the chicken eggs–I enjoy the slight different taste of the duck eggs.

Pro: I also love the taste of duck eggs in baking. But, there’s a “con” to that too… (See below.)

Con: I personally prefer the taste of chicken eggs. It might be more the consistency than the taste, actually. Duck eggs are more percentage of yolk to white and more “rubbery” for lack of a better word.

Duck eggs are bigger than chicken eggs.

Pro: You get more food per egg, for sure.

Con: While I love the richer taste duck eggs provide in baking, it’s a quandary often to know how many to add. When the recipe calls for 2 eggs, 2 duck eggs will be too much. If 3 eggs are called for? I may use 2 duck. But usually my solution is to snag an odd combination of eggs, like I may dig around my egg bin for 2 of my smallest chicken eggs (probably called “medium size” in the store-bought world) to combine with 1 duck egg if the recipe calls for 3 eggs total.

Con: The sheer fact that they’re larger also means you’ll be consuming more calories, fat, and cholesterol when you eat one duck egg compared to one chicken egg. (Read more on this below.)

Con: Of course, there’s one more “con” to their size… the larger the egg, the larger the surface area that your sweet ducks can waddle all over them and cover them in… you guessed it… duck poo. I have never once–never–pulled a clean egg out of our duck house. I sincerely don’t know how they manage to coat the eggs in poo. I mean it’s like they roll their eggs in their poo for sport every morning before we arrive on scene.

Con: I truly don’t know if this is true on all farms. In fact, it wasn’t true with our first flock of ducks. But our current flock eat a lot more than our chicken do. Our chicken garner a lot more nutrition by free ranging than our ducks do. The ducks often range as far and wide as the chicken do… often even all together for a large portion of the day… but for some reason the ducks rely more on the feed that we give them than the chicken ever do.

Duck eggs may be more allergy friendly. Or not.

Pro: I’ve read that eggs are one of the most common allergy problems for children. If a child (or adult) in your family faces this problem, you may be pleasantly surprised that duck eggs don’t cause any allergic reactions for him/her. There’s no guarantee, of course, but many people who are allergic to chicken eggs find that they can eat and enjoy duck eggs. *

Con: In our family, the allergy thing happens to be a con. One daughter is allergic to them.

* This is where I insert that legal language/mumbo jumbo that I am not a nutritionist or a doctor and I am not making any medical claims here, only stating what I’ve experienced myself.

A follower on instagram, maryrenee16, reached out to me recently and explained her allergy to duck eggs, which was quite severe…

“Very painful stomach cramps and eventually vomiting. I have never had a food allergy so I had no idea what was happening. I will say oddly my body knew it before my mind did. I would almost get sick just collecting the eggs or when I handled them for cooking. I thought I was just being a city girl and needed to put my big girl pants on. But we have chickens as well and I had never had that reaction to collecting or handling their eggs. So I dove deeper into what an egg allergy can look like. Once I eliminated the duck eggs from my diet, I was no longer getting sick. I just had no idea! They were so amazing to bake with- I even made ice cream with the duck eggs. It was soooo good!”

Ducks are productive in the winter. Kinda.

The big reason I wanted ducks was this amazing “fact” that I had heard that ducks are productive all winter long, laying eggs often during the long months that our chicken would be “dormant” in the egg category. (Yes, I know if I provide a source of heat in the coop the chicken would be more productive, but I just can’t justify that over my fear of a possible fire on the farm.)

Pro: Ducks are more “winter weather hardy” and can lay eggs during cold weather when chickens are too busy conserving body heat to lay many eggs.

Con: Sadly, in our experience over the past 4 years, with 3 different flocks of ducks, we get very little duck eggs in the winter months. We’ll be surprised with one duck egg here and there, maybe once or twice a week, throughout the winter, but that’s it.

Duck eggs pack more of a nutritional punch than chicken eggs.

Both size-wise and nutrient-wise, duck eggs come out on top. They offer a wide range of vitamins and minerals. In fact, you get almost an entire day’s worth of vitamin B12 in every duck egg, which is needed for red blood cell formation, DNA synthesis, and healthy nerve function. (More about bit B12 benefits here.)

pro:  Because duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs, they offer more protein, omega-3, and vitamin D than a chicken egg. Even if they weren’t bigger than chicken eggs, duck eggs provide more nutrients than chicken eggs, ounce for ounce.

con: their yolks are larger. That means that the eggs are a more concentrated source of calories, fat, and cholesterol. Depending on their size, you could get twice as many calories and three times as much cholesterol from a duck egg.

Duck eggs vs. Chicken eggs? Bottom line: they’re both good for you.

Both chicken and duck eggs are loaded with antioxidants, which some research suggests could even reduce the risk for cancer.

Both chicken and duck eggs contain mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, the good type of fats.

But I will say, Ducks give you a whole lot of entertainment in between the eggs…

 

More info for you:

Raising Chickens vs. Raising Ducks

Training Your Dog Around Free-Ranging Chickens and Ducks

Natural Egg Dying

Homesteading in Modern Times

 

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