While Americans and Britons feast on turkey this Christmas, many have questioned why the bird’s eggs are not on the menu – and it all comes down to the cost.
Unlike chickens that produce one egg every 24 hours or so, turkeys drop maybe two a week.
‘Turkeys have a longer life cycle so they need to get to about seven months before they are able to produce laying eggs,’ said Kimmon Williams of the National Turkey Federation
Chickens only have to reach about five months before they can start laying eggs.
Experts have also noted that turkeys need more food and larger housing, adding more costs to consumers.
Farmers would have to sell each turkey egg for at least $3.00 (£2.39), making a full dozen $36 (£28.67).
The larger bird’s eggs also contain twice as many calories, grams of fat and three times the cholesterol as those from hens.
Farmers would have to sell each turkey egg for at least $3.00 (£2.39), making a full dozen $36 (£28.67)
Some cooking professionals have said that turkey eggs are better for sauces because their yolks are creamier and richer, Slate reported.
But the recommendations are not enough to get them on menus.
Turkeys are indigenous to North America, making them a staple among Native American tribes, and chickens did not arrive in the US until the 1500s.,
Native Americans introduced turkeys to early European settlers in the 1600s.
The large, wild birds were exotic animals to Europeans who became instant fans.
Early Spanish explorers to the New World even returned home with turkeys, but rumors quickly spready that the eggs were linked to outbreaks of leprosy.
The suspicions were largely among the French, who were wary about the birds’ foreign origins.
In medieval Europe, diseases like leprosy were often seen as divine punishment or the result of moral failings.
And new foods from a land deemed dangers did not align with the established norms of the time.
But back in the US, the new settlers viewed the eggs as a luxury.
Today, turkey eggs are a rarity, sought mainly by food enthusiasts or farmers looking to meet the demand for Thanksgiving
By the 18th century, their popularity in the US had grown so much that domestication of turkeys became widespread.
New York’s iconic Delmonico’s restaurant, for instance, served turkey eggs scrambled or poached, as well as in frittatas and omelets.
However, the rise of industrial poultry farming during the 20th century changed the landscape of American food.
Technological advancements allowed farmers to specialize chickens for egg production or meat, making chicken eggs more cost-efficient and readily available.
As a result, turkey eggs began to lose favor, and even Delmonico’s eventually removed them from their menu.
Today, turkey eggs are a rarity, sought mainly by food enthusiasts or farmers looking to meet the demand for Thanksgiving.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported a shortage of turkey eggs. As of June 1, 2024, inventories of turkey eggs in incubators fell to their lowest level since 1988, with just 22.8 million eggs.
This shortage, attributed to outbreaks of avian influenza and the loss of breeding flocks, contributed to a 6% decrease in turkey production this year compared to 2023.
Americans paid, on average, about $2.08 per pound, which is about $31 per bird that feeds 15 people.
And even there was a low number of turkeys, the price was down 12 percent since last Thanksgiving.
