Duck, Duck, Chicken?

Most people are surprised when we say that we added some quackers to our flock. They serve a very important part in our backyard bunch. Not only are they ridiculously adorbs, with their faint quacks and toddler-like demeanor, but they provide an abundance of nourishing eggs for our family to enjoy!

A duck egg is like no other. It’s a much richer, yolkier egg that packs a powerful punch of Omega-3 fatty acids. They are purportedly an alkaline-producing food. We have learned through the years that alkaline foods make our bodies an undesirable host for cancer.

Another great thing about a duck egg is its shell. It’s extremely hard, making their shelf life a bit longer than their clucker counterparts. Duck eggs contain more Albumin which makes them a highly coveted ingredient in baked goods and pastries. Baking with duck eggs takes your kitchen creations to another level. Custards are creamier, cakes are fluffier and hollandaise sauce? Well…

You can use a duck egg just like a chicken egg. Typically the conversion is 2 duck eggs to 3 chicken eggs. However, if your ducks lay smaller eggs, you can usually get away with an equal conversion. It really depends on your taste.

Now, caring for ducks you ask? Aside from getting them set up with a small enclosure and lots of pool time, it’s not bad. If you’re already throwing some feed to your chickens, you might as well get some ducks. It takes me about 10-15 minutes a day (plus play time, hose showers and frozen pea scavenger hunts), to care for our ducks. We have 4 ducks total. Two Pekins (big white downy girls), and two Rouens (one male…oops, and one female). We average 3 duck eggs a day, times 7 days in a week, we are just shy of 2 dozen duck eggs. Not too shabby!

One last thing to note, ducks are DIRTY! So if you don’t like muddy poop water, ducks are not for you! They will make a mess of their enclosure in no time. BUT, in my mind, the benefits of the ducks eggs are far greater than the small nuisance of cleaning their area. Just make sure to have good waterproof boots when you go out there!

So, in conclusion, you can see that ducks provide nourishing eggs, silly quacks, soft beaks, funny waddles, shower dancing, frozen pea digging, kiddie pool synchronized swimming, and a lots of soft duck kisses. You won’t be disappointed with the addition to your flock!