Yes, turkeys lay eggs, like every bird, and the eggs are safe to eat and taste much like a rich chicken egg. You almost never see them in stores because the turkey business runs on meat, not eggs.1Poultry Science. The Selection and Management of Turkey Breeders
How Often Turkeys Lay and When
A wild turkey hen lays a batch, or clutch, of about 9 to 10 eggs in a nest on the ground.2Proceedings of the Annual Conference, Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners. Laying Data and Nesting Behavior of Wild Turkeys She usually visits the nest around midday, at about the same time each day.3Proceedings of the Annual Conference, Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners. Laying Data and Nesting Behavior of Wild Turkeys She lays less than one egg a day, skipping days unpredictably.4Proceedings of the Annual Conference, Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners. Laying Data and Nesting Behavior of Wild Turkeys Once the clutch is complete, she sits on the eggs for about 26 to 28 days until they hatch.5Proceedings of the Annual Conference, Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners. Laying Data and Nesting Behavior of Wild Turkeys A clutch builds up over roughly two to three weeks, so a hen can leave eggs sitting while she keeps adding to them.
A turkey kept for eggs lays about 100 eggs a year, roughly two a week.6Chowhound. Why Don’t We Eat Turkey Eggs? Laying is triggered by long days, so turkeys lay mostly in spring and summer.
Breeding farms take advantage of this. They use 18 hours of light a day to stretch the laying season, getting about 14 more eggs per hen than with 15 hours.7PubMed. Lighting for summer egg production by turkeys: day length and light intensity Brighter lights don’t add eggs, only longer days do.8PubMed. Lighting for summer egg production by turkeys: day length and light intensity9PubMed Central. Evaluating light spectrum and intensity for female turkey breeder reproductive performance
For a backyard keeper, eggs often turn up in hidden ground nests rather than a nest box. In autumn and winter laying stops for months unless you add light. A hen that goes broody, meaning she sits tight on eggs to hatch them, stops laying altogether.
A hen doesn’t need a mate to lay. Hens produce eggs without a tom present; a tom only matters if you want chicks, because only fertilized eggs hatch. The unfertilized ones are the eggs people eat.
Why Turkey Eggs Aren’t in the Grocery Store
A typical laying chicken produces about 250 eggs a year, two and a half times a turkey’s output.10Chowhound. Why Don’t We Eat Turkey Eggs? Top commercial chicken breeds lay 300 to 350 eggs a year.11Chowhound. Why Don’t We Eat Turkey Eggs? Chickens lay about once a day, while turkeys lay at most twice a week.12Upworthy. Why do we eat chicken eggs but not turkey eggs? A farm would need far more turkeys, housing and feed to fill the same egg cartons.
Turkeys are bigger birds and cost more to raise than chickens.13Upworthy. Why do we eat chicken eggs but not turkey eggs? Breeder hens need about 9 to 12 square feet of floor space each indoors,14Poultry Science. Space Requirements of Turkey Breeder Hens so a barn holds fewer layers than the same barn would hold chickens. A turkey also eats much more feed, and that cost is spread over far fewer eggs. Together, this is how a single turkey egg ends up selling for around $3,15Upworthy. Why do we eat chicken eggs but not turkey eggs? which most shoppers wouldn’t pay for breakfast. Their bigger size also makes the eggs harder to package and store in standard cartons.16Upworthy. Why do we eat chicken eggs but not turkey eggs?
Turkey farmers earn their money from meat, not from selling eggs.17Poultry Science. The Selection and Management of Turkey Breeders Breeding has focused on fast-growing meat birds rather than heavy layers.18Poultry Science. The Selection and Management of Turkey Breeders A fertile turkey egg is worth far more hatched into a meat bird than sold as food. So farms that keep breeder turkeys send nearly all their fertile eggs to hatcheries rather than to shoppers. Duck and quail eggs do reach shelves because those birds pay off better as layers.
What Turkey Eggs Look Like Inside and Out
A turkey egg weighs about 78 grams, compared with about 50 to 60 grams for a large chicken egg. It is roughly 6.7 cm long and 4.7 cm wide, a little pointier than a chicken egg.19Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science. Some Physical, Morphological, and Mechanical Characteristics of Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Eggs The shell is usually cream colored with brown speckles. It is about 0.35 to 0.4 mm thick, so it takes a firmer tap to crack.20Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science. Some Physical, Morphological, and Mechanical Characteristics of Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Eggs Crack it on a flat counter rather than a sharp edge, and check the bowl for shell fragments before cooking.
Inside, about 58% of the egg is white, 30% yolk and 12% shell.21Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science. Some Physical, Morphological, and Mechanical Characteristics of Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Eggs Bigger turkey eggs have proportionally more white and less yolk.22Journal of Applied Poultry Research. Morphology and chemical composition of turkey eggs The white is thick and holds its shape.23The Kitchn. Turkey Eggs: Have You Tried Them?
If you spot one at a market, a cream-colored shell with heavy brown speckles is one visual hint. It also feels noticeably heavier in the hand than a large chicken egg. Some chicken breeds also lay speckled eggs, and size alone isn’t dependable, so ask the seller.
Are Turkey Eggs Safe and Nutritious
Per 100 grams, turkey eggs have about 171 calories, 14 g protein and 12 g fat.24Food Struct. Turkey egg nutrition: calories, carbs, GI, protein, fiber, fats That makes them close to a chicken egg gram for gram. They supply minerals like iron, about 4.1 mg per 100 g, and zinc,25Food Struct. Turkey egg nutrition: calories, carbs, GI, protein, fiber, fats as chicken eggs do. Because one turkey egg is larger, a single egg gives roughly the nutrition of one and a half chicken eggs.
The same 100 grams carries about 933 mg of cholesterol, more than chicken eggs.26Food Struct. Turkey egg nutrition: calories, carbs, GI, protein, fiber, fats People who have been told to limit cholesterol, such as those with heart disease or high cholesterol, should count a turkey egg as more than one chicken egg.
Any poultry egg can carry salmonella bacteria, so a turkey egg is neither safer nor riskier by species alone. Cook turkey eggs until whites and yolks are firm, especially for young children, pregnant people and older adults. Soft-boiled or runny yolks are the main risk, so those groups should skip them.
Keep the eggs in the refrigerator. Throw away cracked or dirty eggs, since cracks let bacteria in.
If you buy from a small farm, remember that backyard eggs aren’t graded or inspected like supermarket eggs. Ask how recently they were collected, and use them within a few weeks of collection. Wash your hands after handling the shells.
How Turkey Eggs Taste and How to Cook Them
Cooks describe turkey eggs as richer and creamier than chicken eggs.27Scratch & Peck Scratch Feeds. Turkey Eggs: What to Know Before Raising Them The large yolk gives a deeper flavor.28Scratch & Peck Scratch Feeds. Turkey Eggs: What to Know Before Raising Them The difference is most noticeable when the egg is cooked simply, since nothing else covers it. The thick white gives a firmer bite and makes poached eggs that hold together well.29The Kitchn. Turkey Eggs: Have You Tried Them?
For a first try, fry or poach one so you taste it plainly. Custard or a rich sauce is another good use, since the yolk’s depth shows there. To scramble one, allow a little extra cooking time, since there is more egg in the pan.
Boiling takes a few more minutes than for a chicken egg, because heat needs longer to reach the center of the bigger egg. Cool it in cold water right after cooking, which stops the cooking and makes peeling easier. Crack the thick shell with a firm tap, then roll it gently on the counter to loosen it.
Baking takes more care. Because turkey eggs are larger, swapping one for one can upset a recipe.30Scratch & Peck Scratch Feeds. Turkey Eggs: What to Know Before Raising Them Weigh the egg instead and match the weight of the chicken eggs called for, about 50 to 60 g for each large egg.
Results can still differ. In tests with frozen eggs, turkey eggs made cakes less tender than chicken eggs,31Canadian Institute of Food Technology Journal. A Comparative Study of Sensory and Cooking Characteristics of Frozen Duck, Goose, Hen and Turkey Eggs so expect a slightly denser crumb. Turkey egg whites also made a less stable foam than hen whites,32Canadian Institute of Food Technology Journal. A Comparative Study of Sensory and Cooking Characteristics of Frozen Duck, Goose, Hen and Turkey Eggs so meringues and angel food cakes are risky choices. Recipes where the egg adds richness, such as custards, suit them better than recipes that depend on lift.
Where to Find Turkey Eggs or Raise Your Own
Turkey eggs show up mostly at farmers markets, farm stands and specialty farms in spring, since that is when hens lay. Ask turkey breeders directly, because some sell extras they don’t hatch. Expect to pay several dollars per egg.33Upworthy. Why do we eat chicken eggs but not turkey eggs?
Keeping your own is a bigger commitment. Turkeys need much more room than chickens, about 9 to 12 square feet each indoors.34Poultry Science. Space Requirements of Turkey Breeder Hens They lay about 100 eggs a year at best, mostly in a few months.35Chowhound. Why Don’t We Eat Turkey Eggs?
Expect a spring rush of eggs that then stops for months. Hens may hide nests outdoors, so you may end up searching brush or corners. Feed costs run higher than for chickens.
For steady eggs, chickens are the practical choice. Turkeys suit keepers who also want meat or chicks.