Eggcellent Questions Answered: Can You Eat Turkey Eggs?

Did you know turkeys, like chickens, are birds that lay eggs?

These birds are consumed for their meat throughout the year as cold cuts or turkey dinners. Their capacity of laying eggs also plays a vital role in the poultry business.

Two distinct species of turkeys are found on our planet. They are Meleagris gallopavo aka the wild turkey or domestic turkey and Meleagris ocellata the ocellated turkey.

On average turkeys lay eggs twice a week unlike a chicken's egg-laying tendency, which is all year round. Chickens are known to lay almost 200 eggs per year on average.

Americans are known to feed on 46 million turkeys and their meat every year with an all-time high consumption during Thanksgiving, which often is the time of the national turkey eating festival.

During this period of time, both the turkey production and the turkey egg-producing cost skyrockets. Though the sale of this bird and other related poultry hens become a bit overpriced, companies often sell dozen of these hens at supermarkets and grocery stores to raise the sale of this bird.

If you find our article interesting then check out, when do robins lay eggs? And why do chickens lay eggs?

Are turkey eggs healthier than chicken eggs?

Let’s compare chicken eggs and turkey eggs.

The ideal field where a turkey egg will be compared to a chicken egg in terms of being healthier is of nutritional value. Whichever egg has a greater nutritional value is deemed healthier than the other.

The difference in the nutritional value of both the eggs can be easily compared.

The protein types of both the eggs are similar, however, since the turkey egg is larger in size, the fat and cholesterol content is four times higher, while the grams of protein and the calories are nearly twice that of the chicken egg.

Thus, it would be safe to conclude that eating a chicken egg is considered healthy as the nutritional content of fat and cholesterol are less. However, once in a while turkey eggs or duck eggs can be consumed.

Animals That Eat Turkey Eggs

Humans aren't the only animals on the planet that feed on turkey eggs. There are a lot of wild animals that prey and feed on both turkeys and their eggs. It is mainly the predators of turkeys that feed on turkey eggs.

Both turkeys and chickens act as food for predatory animals other than humans. These include animals like snakes, raccoons, skunks, possums, coyotes, foxes, and rodents. Not only do these animals eat the flesh and meat of turkeys, but they also take great pleasure in eating and tasting their eggs as a part of their food habit.

Can humans eat turkey eggs?

Humans take great delight to eat and taste food, and the turkey eggs are no exception to that. Some people exclusively eat chicken eggs. As chicken eggs are far more popular than turkey eggs, humans often eat two eggs a day, though it is advised not to consume more than 2-3 eggs per week.

To answer the question as to whether humans can consume turkey eggs, the answer is yes. Both wild and domestic turkey eggs are edible.

However, owing to some acute differences between a chicken egg and turkey eggs, the former is preferred. The turkey egg is larger and thus has a greater amount of cholesterol and higher amounts of protein than that of chickens, which the latter can be beneficial. The shell is thicker and is also bigger in size.

Turkey egg dishes are popular all over the globe, so let us take a ride and look at some of those mouthwatering recipes. The plain and simple poached egg, as well as the omelet, is one of the most delicious dishes.

The steps are fairly easy to follow. For poaching an egg you need to gently boil the water, and add a little vinegar to the bubbling water. Prep the egg while the water boils in a low flame.

Create a vortex in the bubbling water, by swirling your pan around and placing your cracked egg contents in the swirling water vortex. Cover the bowl and let it simmer for some time. Chicken eggs require around four minutes while a turkey egg can require around five minutes.

Finally, take out the poached egg carefully and serve hot. Bon appetite!

Can you eat turkey eggs instead if you're allergic to chicken eggs?

An allergy to eggs, particularly to that of a chicken egg, is very common and is observed by a huge chunk of the population around the globe. However, these people often tend to be fine while consuming chicken flesh as the source of the allergy remains restricted to the egg and not the egg-laying hens, that is, chicken.

The allergy mainly occurs due to either albumen (the white part of the egg) protein intolerance or due to intolerance of fat that is present in the yolk.

Generally, people that are allergic to eggs of chickens are also allergic to turkey eggs and thus they should avoid consuming both. However, the same might not be in the case of quail eggs.

So next time you visit the grocery, do check out the thin and delicate shell of quail eggs, as they can excite you to have a pitched egg or an omelet, as per your preference.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for can you eat turkey eggs? Then why not take a look at animals that lay eggs or Holland turkey facts pages?