The Secrets of Duck Eggs

Reading Time: 4 minutes
by Gina Stack I never knew ducks made such different sounds! I thought they just quacked, but as I walked out where my husband was, I heard quite the flurry of uneasy, weird sounds coming from our yard.
Our extra chicken tractor was full of white ducks, carrying on as if this was their last minute to live. Our neighbor, who didn’t want them, had just dropped them off. There were eight four-month-old Pekins: two drakes and six hens. We already had 30 laying hens, knew about chickens, and often wondered about raising ducks. We threw a tarp on the chicken tractor and started our journey into duck keeping. We didn’t know what to expect!
Thankfully it was summer, and we soon saw that they love water. They stand around the water, dipping their heads in, making crazy sounds as if dancing, talking, celebrating, and having a party! No wonder ducks are depicted as nutty like Daffy Duck.
One main reason we were interested in ducks was their eggs. I learned that Pekins start laying at five to six months. Before I could study enough, the ducks started popping out massive eggs, including double- and triple-yolkers. We took a ridiculous amount of comparison pictures and packed them into egg cartons that were too small and flimsy for Pekin eggs.
The duck eggs are delicious, similar in taste to my chicken eggs. The shells don’t splinter; they have a slight “give” and look and feel like porcelain. The yolks are bigger and extra creamy; the whites are slightly more viscous and can get rubbery while cooking.

Duck eggs are 50% larger than standard chicken eggs and may have different shell colors varying by breed. Thick shells give them a longer shelf life. Paleo dieters favor their higher fat, cholesterol, and omega-3 fatty acid levels. They have similar nutritional content as chicken eggs and contain B12, needed for red blood cell formation, healthy nerve function, and some protection from heart disease and cancer. The vitamin A in duck eggs protects eyesight and maintains healthy blood and skin. They are a great source of protein; diets low in protein put hair growth in a “resting” phase which can cause hair loss. Eggs also have biotin, selenium, and zinc, which is important for hair, skin, and nail health, and are rich in the powerful antioxidant riboflavin.
Chefs and bakers choose duck eggs because the egg whites will give you fluffier cakes and taller meringue peaks, and the creamy yolks make better custards.
Some main nutritional differences of duck vs. chicken eggs*:
Fat content: Duck 10 grams — Chicken 5 grams
Cholesterol: Duck 618 mg — Chicken 186 mg
Protein: Duck 9 grams — Chicken 6 grams
Omega 3 fatty acids: Duck 71 mg — Chicken 37mg
*Content varies based on egg size.
Eventually, these monster eggs cluttered my refrigerator. I took them to church to see who may like to try them. Many people were skeptical when I asked by just giving a polite blank look with the silent question, “You want me to try duck eggs?” We are so conditioned to eat just chicken eggs! Many wondered if they tasted the same as chicken eggs, etc.

One friend makes homemade cheesecake weekly, and after I told him about duck eggs for baking, he tried them. He offered tastes of the cheesecake and asked everyone if they noticed a difference. The consensus was the cheesecake was creamier.
Another friend cooks keto and tried duck eggs for extra protein. Yet another friend has allergies to chicken meat and chicken eggs but can eat duck eggs. We never knew this entering into raising ducks. God knew about a need for these people, but we didn’t have a clue!
Most egg allergies concern individual proteins, which differ between bird species. The protein ovotransferrin, a glycoprotein of egg albumen, makes up 12% of a chicken egg white while it is only 2% in a duck egg white.
Another friend has Hashimoto’s disease: an inflamed thyroid causing hypothyroidism. She is also allergic to chicken eggs and had taken all eggs out of her family diet. I approached her about my duck egg dilemma, fumbling my overloaded egg cartons, desperately trying to convince people to try them. She happily took some home. My friend was able to eat them, overjoyed as she and her family added eggs back into their diets. She also mentioned that she had been losing hair, and after a few months of eating duck eggs, her hair started growing again. I was so amazed and wondered if that was all from the duck eggs.

All of this is summed up in this verse Psalm 104:24. O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom, You have made them all: the earth is full of Your riches.
God is so creative in all of these wonderful little details and differences in the simple duck egg.
Originally published in the April/May 2022 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.
We have been so blessed with our four precious ducks! We have three different breeds…two Pekins, an Indian Runner, and a Khaki Campbell! They are about 10 months old now and have been laying eggs for at least 5 months now; large and delicious, and we get a beautiful green egg every day too! We’ve been sharing our abundant supply with friends and family. My husband loves to make egg salad sandwiches and baking with them is amazing!
I am so glad that we decided to buy our baby ducks last spring…with the prices of chicken eggs soaring a while back, buying our ducks was one of the best things we did! On a positive note, our ducks are absolutely delightful and very easy to take care of 🙂
God Bless and Thank you for the wonderful articles!
This is great information. I never knew duck eggs could help with hair growth. We have been ordering duck eggs from the farmers market. I have truly been thinking about adding a couple of ducks to my chicken group.
I can’t eat chicken eggs because they annoy my neuropathy but duck eggs do not. I am also known as the egg lady at my church.
I have Khaki Campbell ducks, 22 of them. They have just reached egg laying age and do not disappoint. 16 are hens and 6 drakes. 6 are from a different hatchery and a few weeks younger than the other hens. We get 10 eggs almost daily.
The eggs are delicious and one of my favorites is omelettes. They hold together better and are delicious!
A small pool is provided for them to play in and the Khaki Campbells are incredible foragers. A joy to watch as they wattle around the yard and play in the pool. However, will like to mention that they are messy and there coop area is a task to clean. The eggs are also usually buried and messy too. A quick wipe of a sponge and warm water cleans them nicely but requires refrigeration if cleaning is needed. So eggs that are laid in nesting box usually do not and those stay on the counter or into the incubator.
I love the ducks and will continue to raise them for myself and others to enjoy.