Spring Bounty!
This lovely lady is one of our Sillie Flock. As ducklings they grew up beneath a coconut grove, where the frequent thud of falling coconuts made them jumpy — and that nervous habit is how the flock got its name.
After a year of setting, hatching, and raising their beautiful babies, our amazing Runner Ducks are pleased to announce a whole new generation of young laying hens who are ready to share their eggs!
Our flock is free-ranging with plenty of pasture, and, along with fruits and vegetables grown here at the ranch, in accordance with organic standards, our birds receive wheat-based ’no corn, no soy’ grain. We are committed to furthering ranch sustainability, endeavoring eventually to phaseout commercial feed entirely.
Our ‘mama’ eggs are roughly 1-1/2 to twice as big as a chicken egg. Our juvenile layers produce eggs about the size of medium to large chicken eggs. Duck eggs are a bit richer, as the yolks are proportionately larger, so they are especially delicious in omelettes, as well as superior for baking. Their taste is so similar to chicken eggs, most folks cannot tell the difference, except they are larger, ranging to as much as 84 grams! (USDA large chicken eggs weigh 57-63 grams.)
Shown here are our 57g chicken eggs (brown) and 82g ’mama’ eggs (teal)
Every morning Marla, our animal aficionado, enjoys going on egg hunts—gathering every egg she can find from the many hiding spots around our flocks. (Our girls lay before 10 a.m.!) Eggs are held no more than 6 days before grading, washing, packing, and delivering.
As always, Aina Iki Ranch eggs come with a guarantee. Nature has her ways, and sometimes the interior of an egg may have a slight imperfection. This does not affect nutrition or taste, but any egg that fails to meet expectations will be happily replaced.
Ducks lay their eggs on the ground, so, during rainy weather, the eggs may be slightly stained. They are rinsed well with clean water on the day of delivery, and should be refrigerated within a few hours of receiving. Unwashed eggs not requiring refrigeration are available upon request.
Fun facts to know
A mama duck will lay and save up eggs for a couple weeks or more before setting and incubating them. In a cool moist place, the eggs are fresh enough with no refrigeration to hatch out healthy ducklings.
A duck egg has as much protein in each egg as a comparable sized chicken egg, yet it exceeds nutritionally in a number of ways. Check out another blog for more nutritional information here.
While they don’t have a traditional ‘quack’ , Runners ‘speak’ and chatter quietly . The males are much softer spoken than the females, but they all let us at AIR know when it’s supper time!
The shells and membranes of duck eggs are sturdy, but permeable, designed to provide developing embryos the perfect humidity in a wetland environment.
Unlike chickens, Runner ducks are surprisingly nocturnal. They eat and move around in the dark, and often lay their eggs before sunrise.
As always, 100% of proceeds from the eggs you purchase goes directly to feeding and care of our flocks and our other special-needs critters at our Sanctuary.
If you’re interested in receiving regular bounties of eggs, click the link HERE to sign up!
Mahalo for your support - and happy kau kau!
