Duck Eggs

Choking risk

Well-cooked duck egg is a low choking risk - soft and easy for babies to manage.

Keep egg soft and cut any firm pieces small - overcooked egg turns rubbery and harder to manage. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Duck egg is a common food allergen. Egg allergy is one of the most frequent in young children, and duck egg carries the same main egg proteins as hen's egg.^[2]

Introducing well-cooked egg from around 6 months and keeping it in the diet lowers the risk of an egg allergy, so there's no reason to wait.

If your baby is allergic to hen's egg, duck egg is not a safe substitute. It works the other way round too, though rarely - reactions to duck egg have been reported in people who eat hen's egg without any trouble.^[5] Treat duck egg as a new food and introduce it on its own, even if hen's egg is already established.

If your baby has severe eczema or an existing food allergy, check with your pediatrician before starting allergens.

Start with about 1/4 teaspoon of well-cooked duck egg mixed into a familiar food, earlier in the day, not near bedtime. Wait 10 minutes, and if all looks well, carry on with the meal. Watch for a reaction over the next couple of hours. Build up gradually from there, and keep egg in the diet a few times a week.^[1]

If baby refuses

Some babies take to the richer texture of duck egg. If soft scrambled is refused, try a thin omelet strip, or stir beaten egg into pancakes or mashed potato. Keep it soft, never rubbery.

Food safety

Raw or runny egg can carry salmonella, so cook duck egg through, with both the white and yolk fully set. Duck eggs are larger than hen's eggs, so allow a little extra time. If a recipe calls for raw egg, use pasteurized egg instead.

Duck eggs often come from small farms and markets rather than supermarkets, so they may not be washed or kept chilled in the same way. Keep them refrigerated at home and cook them thoroughly.