The Growing Demand for Fresh Duck Eggs

What more can you ask for than endorsements from articles in Time and Sunset magazines? Metzer Farms did not get the endorsement, but ducks and duck eggs sure did. Time had an article titled "Urban Animal Husbandry" discussing how more and more city dwellers are raising livestock and poultry as a hobby for meat, eggs, manure and the simple pleasure of caring for them. The garden educator of Seattle Tilth thinks that "ducks are better for gardens than chickens and that they provide tastier eggs. 'I think the duck is the future,' she says. Game on, chicken lovers."

In a recent issue of Sunset magazine, there was a picture of a duck egg along with a short article. "Ducks are the new chickens. They lay bigger eggs that are richer in flavor than chicken eggs. Also, ducks may make for nicer backyard occupants. Owners are finding they'll eat slugs and weeds and have a less aggressive pecking order than chickens..."

Duck eggs are appreciated for a variety of reasons: richer flavor, better for baking, longer storage life and some people that are allergic to chicken eggs can eat duck eggs! In many ways, duck eggs are more nutritious than chicken eggs. Duck eggs have higher levels of vitamins and minerals than chicken eggs for 12 of the 13 nutrients we have listed in the comparison chart on our website.

With the number of duck eggs we produce, we also have quite a few cracked eggs. Most are given to a local soup kitchen for the homeless but in our home we use cracked duck eggs for everything. Oh yes, this is another advantage of duck eggs. As the shell membrane is so strong, the shell can be broken and no egg leaks out! There is one thing to remember with duck eggs, however. Make sure the whites are at room temperature and then add a little lemon juice or baking soda if you are whipping them up.

In England, the demand for duck eggs is growing rapidly. Watercress Lane is a duck farm that sells over 2.5 million duck eggs per year to wholesalers, retailers and caterers - and demand has grown 45% in the past year alone! A recent survey indicates that 1 in 13 supermarkets in England offer duck eggs. "We hope that the campaign and other activities of a PR agency we have recently employed will increase the public appetite for duck eggs further," says co-owner Melandy Daniels.

Knowing the demand for duck eggs is growing and our desire to support our duckling customers, we have started a new page on our website, Our Customers That Sell Fresh Duck Eggs. Drop by and see if someone near you is listed. Or have us list you if you sell duck eggs locally!

We sell our duck and goose eggs to fifteen Whole Food Markets in the San Francisco Bay Area. Whole Foods is the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods that prides themselves in obtaining as much local food items as possible. We also sell our eggs by mail order to those that do not have a local supply of duck eggs. Why don't you start supplying duck eggs to your local high end bakeries and food shops, Asian stores or farmers markets? People want to try new foods - especially if they are produced locally!

Next week I will go over the steps you can take to prevent salmonellae from affecting your poultry and their eggs.