Duck Eggs from Hill Foot Farms

Peter and Katie Mitchell produce duck eggs from their base near Warkworth, selling to Asian markets, the food service sector and individual buyers in the greater Auckland area. They farm around 1,500 Pekin ducks that produce 700–800 eggs each day in winter, rising to peak production of 1,200 eggs a day in the summer months. The Mitchells are involved in the “WOOFER” scheme and occasionally have “willing workers” on the property to help around the farm.

Peter Mitchell grew up on a dairy farm in Taranaki. He moved to the UK for a number of years and had a business contract shearing and fencing. He returned to New Zealand with his wife Katie and in 2001 they bought the 9ha property at Hill Foot Farm. At that stage, although somewhat run down, it was set up to produce ducks for meat. Peter had grown up eating duck eggs and he changed the farm system to focus on egg production. Currently there are 1,500 Pekin ducks and 50 sheep on the property.

Duck eggs are about twice the size of a chicken egg, they are also slightly stronger in flavour and colour, and sweeter tasting than chicken eggs. They are denser in consistency and are reported to contain a higher concentration of vitamins A (three times as much) and B12 (5 times greater). The yolk is also higher in fat and the white is denser. These characteristics make duck eggs particularly good for noodles, pasta and pastries and are used in Asian and French cuisine. They can also be eaten as you would a chicken egg, for example, scrambled, boiled or poached.

Some people who are intolerant to chicken eggs are able to eat duck eggs without experiencing the unpleasant side effects that chicken eggs create.

Duck eggs keep for around 21 days at a cool room temperature (between 10-14 degrees C), slightly longer if refrigerated.

Ducks go into the barns when egg laying begins, when ducks are around 26 weeks old. They will lay for around 10 to 11 months. At that stage they moult and then are ready for another egg production period of around 9 months. Following this, Peter’s ducks are sent off farm, to people who want ducks for their personal egg supply, or to slaughter.

Peter breeds his own ducks on the farm for his replacement stock.

There are a number of factors that affect egg production. Moulting significantly reduces the number of eggs laid. Day-length or daylight hours also affect egg production, with ducks requiring a minimum of 16 hours of light a day to produce. Artificial light is used in the barn to encourage laying. Ducks prefer cool weather as their feathers keep them well-insulated but Peter says if it becomes very windy, the ducks get disturbed and they can go off the lay.

Pekin ducks are vegetarian, and are fed specially designed pellets, and occasionally fruit, vegetables and brewers grains that are sourced locally.

Peter says the most important requirement for ducks is that they have separate wet and dry areas. The wet areas are for the ducks to drink and wash, and the dry areas to rest and lay eggs. Each day after collecting eggs, a fresh layer of untreated wood shavings is put into the nesting boxes. For the 1,500 ducks in residence, about 100 cubic metres of untreated pine shavings will last around 2 months.

It goes without saying that 1,500 ducks produce a lot of manure, and in keeping with Peter’s ethos of waste reduction where possible, at the end of each laying rotation the nesting boxes are cleaned out and the waste is added to collected duck manure to make compost. Peter and Katie sell this in bulk or in the recycled bags they get with the brewers grain. Peter says the income from the duck compost is enough to offset the cost of the shavings.

Egg collection is a daily occurrence, beginning around 7.30am. The ducks are fed, then the eggs are collected and fresh shavings added to the nesting boxes. The eggs are washed with a special washing powder and left to dry in baskets. Once dry they are graded and packed into 20 or 30 cell trays and stored prior to the weekly trip to Auckland for distribution. The Mitchell’s ducks produce 700 – 800 eggs each day in winter, rising to peak production of 1,200 eggs a day in the summer months.

Food safety is paramount and each year the farm undergoes a food safety audit to see that their RMP (Risk Management Plan) is compliant.

Peter drives the eggs to Auckland on Thursdays, and spends the day delivering to food service supplier Bidvest Fresh (that supplies around 250 Auckland restaurants) and to Asian supermarkets with Chinese, Cambodian, Indian and Philippine markets all keen on duck eggs. Also some independent bakeries and individuals take eggs. On the few occasions when there are any leftovers, they are taken to the City Mission.

Peter and Katie have also registered their operation with the “Willing Workers on Organic Farms”, or Woofers scheme. People contact them directly to arrange a visit that may last for between 1 – 2 weeks. When they are at the farm they perform various chores and Peter says there’s a lot of duck poo shoveling involved! He says the scheme works well for them and he enjoys giving often city-raised people from here or other parts of the world an opportunity to experience life in a rural situation in New Zealand.