Michael Parkey Posted June 1, 2019 Report Share Posted June 1, 2019 We raise ducks, primarily for eggs. This time of year we have an egg surplus. I read different claims on the value of eggs for dogs, especially raw eggs. I'd like to hear your opinions and experiences. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted June 1, 2019 Report Share Posted June 1, 2019 Absolutely eggs are good for dogs! Mine don't get them regularly, as I have no good source for "good" eggs. But on occasion, I'll toss them a whole raw one, and they love 'em! I've also been known to give them a scrambled or mashed up hard boiled egg. I don't know duck eggs, but suspect given their size, a whole one daily might be a bit much. Lucky dogs! diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mddvm Posted June 1, 2019 Report Share Posted June 1, 2019 Eggs are fine for dogs (I have ducks and hens and incorporate A LOT of eggs in my dogs' diet), but do avoid feeding them raw very often as it can interfere with biotin absorption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Parkey Posted June 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 Thanks! I had heard about the biotin absorption problem, but then read that the biotin antagonist was found in the whites, not the yolks. And that the yolks contain so much biotin that if whole eggs are fed, it doesn't matter. Hence my confusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooper2 Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 I rinse off surplus eggs and toss (well I don't actually "toss" them) raw into a Ziploc bag and freeze them. They do crack as they freeze, but I cut them in half while still frozen and give both dogs a half eggsicle, with shell, a couple times a week. The dogs think they are yummy, and it allows me to feed eggs year round without wasting the spring bounty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Parkey Posted June 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 That's a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 2 hours ago, Michael Parkey said: I had heard about the biotin absorption problem, but then read that the biotin antagonist was found in the whites, not the yolks. And that the yolks contain so much biotin that if whole eggs are fed, it doesn't matter... You are absolutely right about this. Whole eggs have plenty of biotin so it's not a problem. The name of the biotin binding protein is avidin. Avidin is inactivated by cooking, so if you want to avoid any reduction of biotin you can either separate the yolks and cook the whites separately, or soft boil so that the white is cooked while the yolk remains largely uncooked. I've never bothered doing either of these; many wild canids feast on wild birds eggs and they don't cook them. I can't find the gov't. website I'd consulted several years ago for a nutritional comparison, but I remember that duck eggs were higher in almost every nutrient than chicken eggs. I'm not sure where these folks get their info, but it's similar: http://www.rudolphsrabbitranch.com/nutrition.htm I try to give my dogs whole raw chicken eggs with shell 2-3 times a week. If your dogs aren't used to them you might want to start off with only a smaller bit and work up. Raw eggs can cause loose stools in dogs that aren't used to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Billadeau Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 We too feed raw eggs; those eggs which our chickens have made too dirty for us to want to consume. As an aside the avidin biotin interaction may be the most biomedically important interaction in that it is used in a significant percentage of biomarker blood tests used in medicine and medical research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Parkey Posted June 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 Thanks for all the replies. I will feed reasonable amounts of eggs with no worries. And thanks for nutritional comparison chart, I had not seen that one. If anyone is curious about the ducks, we have a small backyard flock of Welsh Harlequins. I've kept chickens for decades, but ducks only for a few years. I find them to be much more productive and actually easier to keep if you can control the mess they make with their water, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 My dogs each get a half a hard boiled egg a day. They like it and it adds nicely to their good protein intake. Sometimes if I have not made hardboiled eggs in advance, I just give one dog the yolk and the other dog the white, then switch the next day, but I find hardboiled is easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgirl Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 When I was a kid, we had some backyard chickens, and then my brother traded some baby fish from our little fish pond for a duckling, who we named Ala, short for Duck a l'orange. We got the better of that deal, because the duck grew up while the fish died within a few weeks. We used to give our fowl the leftover vegetable scraps, and the thing I remember most was being so surprised to find out that our duck absolutely went 'quackers' for watermelon. In summer, the chicken would leisurely peck at all of the food scraps but Ala would positively go nuts for the watermelon rinds, and her little beak would zoom along them to seek out every hint of pink. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen! Sorry to change the topic, but I just had to share... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Parkey Posted June 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 Pretty much anything I throw in their pond (wading pool) becomes an immediate delicacy. Throw the same thing in their pen and they will often ignore it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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