While Americans feast on turkey this Thanksgiving, many have questioned why the bird’s eggs are not on the menu – and it all comes down to the cost.
Unlike hens that produce four to six every 24 hours or so, turkeys drop one every two weeks, making them rarer and more valuable.
Farmers would have to sell each egg for at least $3, making a full dozen $36, compared to the $3.00 average cost for their feathered counterparts.
The wild bird’s eggs also contain twice as many calories and grams of fat and four times the cholesterol as those from hens.
However, Native American tribes and early European settlers dined on the eggs.
Farmers would have to sell each egg for at least $3, making a full dozen $36, compared to the $3.00 average cost for their feathered counterparts
Some Native American tribes, particularly in the northeastern and southeastern US, domesticated turkeys long before European settlers arrived in the 1600s.
When Europeans took to consuming wild turkey eggs, they found them larger than chicken eggs, making them a popular food choice.
But back home rumors spread in France that turkey eggs were linked to outbreaks of leprosy, fueled by the birds’ foreign origins and the public’s suspicion of new foods.
At the same time, between the 1500s and 1600s, Americans viewed the eggs as a luxury item.
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.
Today, turkey eggs are a rarity, sought mainly by food enthusiasts or farmers looking to meet the demand for Thanksgiving
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.
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