Can Turkeys lay eggs? ......?

Question

..and if so, why cant you buy them at the supermarket?

Answer 1

Barnyard economics, babe. Turkeys don't lay that many eggs, and the ones they do lay are used to produce more turkeys. The average egg-laying chicken lays 300 or so eggs per year, while the average turkey produces only 100 to 120. Chickens come into production at 19 to 20 weeks of age, but turkeys don't get cranking until 32 weeks. Turkeys are also much larger, averaging 16 to 17 pounds compared to 3.5 pounds for chickens. So you'd need a lot more room for a bird that would take a lot longer to produce a lot fewer eggs.

Another problem is that turkeys go "broody" easily--they want to sit on their eggs and incubate them. In contrast, egg-producing white leghorn chickens have had the broodiness bred out of them. They lay and lay and have no desire to incubate their offspring or otherwise be maternal. You want to play in traffic? Fine! Whatever! Now let me go lay some more eggs. Proof that just because you can make a good breakfast doesn't mean you're a good mom.

Some Turkey facts;


Ben Franklin, in a letter to his daughter, proposed the turkey as the official United States bird.

In 2003, the average American ate 17.4 pounds of turkey.

The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.

A 15 pound turkey usually has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.

The wild turkey is native to Northern Mexico and the Eastern United States.

The male turkey is called a tom.

The female turkey is called a hen.

The turkey was domesticated in Mexico and brought to Europe in the 16th century.

Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour.

Wild turkeys can run 20 miles per hour.

Tom turkeys have beards. This is black, hairlike feathers on their breast. Hens sometimes have beards, too.

Turkeys’ heads change colors when they become excited.

Six hundred seventy-five million pounds of turkey are eaten each Thanksgiving in the United States.

Turkeys can see movement almost a hundred yards away.

Turkeys lived almost ten million years ago.

Turkey feathers were used by Native Americans to stabilize arrows.

Baby turkeys are called poults and are tan and brown.

Most of the turkeys raised for commercial production are White Hollands.

Turkey eggs are tan with brown specks and are larger than chicken eggs.

It takes 75-80 pounds of feed to raise a 30 pound tom turkey.

United States turkey growers raised 270 million turkeys in 2003.

Forty-five million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving.

Twenty-two million turkeys are eaten each Christmas.

Nineteen million turkeys are eaten each Easter.

Male turkeys gobble. Hens do not. They make a clicking noise.

Gobbling turkeys can be heard a mile away on a quiet day.

Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri and Virginia are the leading producers of turkey in 2003. These states produced 75% of all the turkeys raised in 2003.

Illinois produced 2.9 million turkeys in 2003 and ranked 15th in turkey production in the United States.

A 16 week old turkey is called a fryer. A five to seven month old turkey is called a young roaster and a yearling is a year old. Any turkey 15 months or older is called mature.

The ballroom dance the "turkey trot" was named for the short, jerky steps that turkeys take.

Turkeys don’t really have ears like ours, but they have very good hearing.

Turkeys can see in color.

A large group of turkeys is called a flock.

Turkeys do not see well at night.

2.74 billion pounds of turkey were processed in the United States in 1994.

A domesticated male turkey can reach a weight of 30 pounds within 18 weeks after hatching.

Turkeys are related to pheasants.

Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly.

Turkeys have heart attacks. The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound barrier. Nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks.

Wild turkeys spend the night in trees. They especially like oak trees.

Wild turkeys were almost wiped out in the early 1900's. Today there are wild turkeys in every state except Alaska.

In England, 200 years ago, turkeys were walked to market in herds. They wore booties to protect their feet. Turkeys were also walked to market in the United States.

Turkey breeding has caused turkey breasts to grow so large that the turkeys fall over.

June is National Turkey Lover’s Month.

Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the President. The President does not eat the live turkey. He "pardons" it and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm.

The five most popular ways to serve leftover turkey is as a sandwich, in stew, chili or soup, casseroles and as a burger.

Eating turkey does not cause you to feel sleepy after your Thanksgiving dinner. Carbohydrates in your Thanksgiving dinner are the likely cause of your sleepiness.

50 percent of U.S. consumers eat turkey at least once per week.

According to the 2002 census, there were 8,436 turkey farms in the United States.

Turkey is low in fat and high in protein.

White meat has fewer calories and less fat than dark meat.

For their first meal on the moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin ate roast turkey in foil packets.

Turkeys will have 3,500 feathers at maturity.

Turkeys have been bred to have white feathers. White feathers have no spots under the skin when plucked.

Most turkey feathers are composted.

Turkey skins are tanned and used to make cowboy boots and belts.

The costume that "Big Bird" wears on Sesame Street is rumored to be made of turkey feathers.

Israelis eat the most turkeys.....28 pounds per person.

The caruncle is a red-pink fleshy growth on the head and upper neck of the turkey.

Turkeys have a long, red, fleshy area called a snood that grows from the forehead over the bill.

The fleshy growth under a turkey’s throat is called a wattle.

Turkey eggs hatch in 28 days.

Minnesota led the United States in turkey production in 2001. Forty-three million turkeys were produced.

The American Indians hunted wild turkey for its sweet, juicy meat as early as 1000 A.D. Turkey feathers were used to stabilize arrows and adorn ceremonial dress, and the spurs on the legs of wild tom turkeys were used as projectiles on arrowheads.

Turkeys are believed to have first been brought to Britain in 1526 by Yorkshireman William Strickland. He acquired six birds from American Indian traders on his travels and sold them for tuppence each in Bristol.

Note to Jean Jean

Where do turkeys come from if not eggs? They are birds after all!!





University of Illinois Extension | Urban Programs | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | College of ACES

Answer 2

Yes they lay eggs but not as many as chickens...


Why there not in the stores is because..Barnyard economics, Turkeys don't lay that many eggs, and the ones they do lay are used to produce more turkeys. The average egg-laying chicken lays 300 or so eggs per year, while the average turkey produces only 100 to 120. Chickens come into production at 19 to 20 weeks of age, but turkeys don't get cranking until 32 weeks. Turkeys are also much larger, averaging 16 to 17 pounds compared to 3.5 pounds for chickens. So you'd need a lot more room for a bird that would take a lot longer to produce a lot fewer eggs.

Another problem is that turkeys go "broody" easily--they want to sit on their eggs and incubate them. In contrast, egg-producing white leghorn chickens have had the broodiness bred out of them. They lay and lay and have no desire to incubate their offspring or otherwise be maternal. You want to play in traffic? Fine! Whatever! Now let me go lay some more eggs. Proof that just because you can make a good breakfast doesn't mean you're a good mom.

And yes, they can be eaten, tho the taste is a bit stronger then the chicken egg...

Answer 3

If Im not mistaken...most if not all birds lay eggs
Yes Turkeys lay eggs, which can be eaten, I do not believe they are marketed due to the fact that they only lay eggs during a certain time of year, unlike chickens which after 6 months of life usually lay one egg per day
There is no difference in taste...mayyyyybe a little milder if anything...
the only difference is size and shell color, the insides are tall the same..turkey eggs are bigger they have a more textured shell
Goose eggs are huge and taste good too.

Answer 4

Yes, turkeys, like all other bird species, lay eggs. They are all oviparous. Turkeys have not been bred to produce the vast quantity of eggs that the current breeds of commercial egg-laying chickens can.

Answer 5

Turkeys can lay eggs of course they are part of the bird family. But the only reason they cant is be a turkey is a wild animal. It is not farmed or harvested like a duck or a chicken.

Answer 6

Yes they do, but most people do not like the taste. Most turkey eggs are used for breeding purposes. However, if you are determined to try an egg, you will have to go to a turkey farm and ask for one.

Answer 7

Because turkey eggs are bad taste

Answer 8

yep.. not all eggs taste mellow enough to eat, but Im sure you could... I have eaten quail eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs, and ostrich eggs.. along with chicken of course.. to me, the larger the bird, the more bitter or strong tasting the egg.. So I assume turkey eggs are strong tasting..

Answer 9

yes they lay eggs dont know why they dont sell the eggs

Answer 10

THEY SURE DO .
HOW DO YOU THINK BABY TURKEYS ARE BORN?.
ONLY LAY EGGS ONCE A YEAR