we get hens eggs. duck eggs.why dont we get eggs from turkeys?

Answer 1

Turkeys DO, of COURSE, lay eggs! The reason you don't see turkey eggs is because most of them are intended to be hatched into more live turkeys for sale. They don't lay nearly as many eggs as chickens do and it takes them longer to get to 'laying' age. Plus, the eggs are very large, and there are no USDA grading regulations set forth for turkey eggs.

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980306b.html

http://www.eatturkey.com/faq/faq.cgi/2/#40

If you really want some, though, here's place you can buy many different varieties:

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/category/turkey_eggs.html

Polly

p.s. Sorry, looks like that last link for hatching eggs, which probably means they're alrady fertilized, yuck, but they're still eggs! ;-)

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Answer 2

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.

I cant believe people have answered this question with 'turkeys dont lay eggs'... lol

Answer 3

There is a much bigger market for turkey meat than for their eggs. The egg market is well taken care of by the chicken growers.
Turkeys are much harder to raise than chickens, so the egg market goes to the chickens. The turkey eggs would not be able to compete with the easier to produce chicken eggs.
The same can't be said for the meat. There is a difference in taste, so there is little competition between the two.
Don't worry, the turkey eggs do not go to waste. They become turkeys.

Answer 4

Chickens eat half their weight a day, and commercially lay about 1 egg a day. Most birds eat a large proportion of their weight a day. It would not be profitable to raise turkeys for eggs. Turkeys sold for roasting are 8 to 10 weeks old, not old enough to lay eggs. After they have lain eggs they are tough.

You can eat turkey eggs , if you find them on a turkey farm. Some turkeys do grow to maturity, otherwise we would not get fresh turkeys for our holidays. The taste is strong. Duck and goose eggs are strong flavored. In Africa an ostrich egg will feed a family of 12 for an omelet.

Answer 5

It´s all about economy. No profit.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.

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Answer 6

Economics

Turkeys don't lay as often, and are much bigger than chickens, so require more food per egg. A hybrid egg layer lays about 300 eggs per year ( goodness knows that is abuse enough - poor animals ). No doubt Turkeys could be bred to lay more, but the birds eat too much food and don't reach egg-laying maturity until 30 weeks or so.


The turkeys eaten in shops are steroid injected, dna modified monsters designed to grow fast, they are still too imature to lay eggs.

What do you think made "Kandy Girl" use the word "Stupid" at the end of her sentence ?

Answer 7

Well of course turkeys lay eggs. And some special markets do sell them. However, the costs of processing turkey eggs because of their size, makes chicken eggs much more practical, especially since they have virtually the same nutritional makeup.

Decades ago when turkeys were something you did just on Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, it was easier to find turkey eggs the rest of the year. Now though, frozen storage has created a year-round demand for cheap, nutritious low-fat white meat. and most turkeys are processed long before they become egg-laying age.

Answer 8

Yes, why don't you? As a child I used to eat turkey eggs from my grand father's small farm; along with goose and duck eggs. They taste ok.

Answer 9

You can get Turkey eggs.

You need a specialist shop or butcher, which can order you either Goose or Turkey eggs (or Ostrich if you want), but they may take time to get as there is not much of a demand.
**Probably because you can't get egg cups to fit !! ;-)

Answer 10

I have just put 'turkeys, reproduction, eggs' in a search engine and come up with thousands of sites that say turkeys DO lay eggs, unless it's only a certain kind or something? I certainly thought they did.