When Americans eat this turkey Thank youMany people wonder why bird eggs are not on the menu – and it all depends on the price.
Unlike chickens that lay one egg every 24 hours, turkeys lay about twice a week.
“Turkeys have a long lifespan so they have to reach about seven months before they start laying eggs,” said Kimmon Williams of the National Turkey Federation.
Chickens are only five months old before they start laying eggs.
Experts have also noted that turkeys need more food and bigger houses, which add more money to buyers.
Farmers must sell each turkey egg for at least $3, making a net profit of $36, compared to an average price of $3.00 for their feathered counterparts.
Eggs of a large bird too it has twice the calories, grams of fat and three times the cholesterol of chicken.
Farmers have to sell each egg for $3, making a net profit of $36, compared to an average price of $3.00 for their feathered counterparts.
Some chefs say that turkey eggs are good for sauces because their yolks are green and rich, Slate report.
But those ideas aren’t enough to get them on menus in the US.
Although people today may not think of Turkish eggs, the dish was popular among them Native American tribes are the first inhabitants of Europe hundreds of years ago.
Chickens didn’t arrive in the country until the 1500s, leaving turkey eggs the only option for the Native Americans who introduced the food to early Europeans in the 1600s.
Large, wild birds were exotic animals to Europeans who became instant fans.
The first Spanish explorers in the New World returned home with turkeys, but rumors quickly spread that eggs were associated with leprosy.
The skepticism was mainly among the French, who were wary of the exotic origins of the birds.
But back to the US, the new settlers they regarded the eggs as a precious commodity.
Today, turkey eggs are rare, sought after mostly by foodies or farmers looking to meet Thanksgiving requirements.
By the 18th century, their popularity in the US had grown so much that domestication of wild animals became widespread.
The popular New York restaurant Delmonico’s, for example, serves scrambled or poached turkey eggs, as well as in frittatas and omelets.
However, the rise of industrial chicken farming in the 20th century changed the face of American food.
Advances in technology made it possible for farmers to specialize in the production of egg or meat chickens, making chicken eggs cheaper and more readily available.
As a result, turkey eggs began to lose interest, and even Delmonico removed them from their menu.
Today, turkey eggs are rare, sought after mostly by foodies or farmers looking to satisfy Thanksgiving needs.
In 2024, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported a shortage of turkey eggs. As of June 1, 2024, the number of turkey eggs in hatcheries has dropped to the lowest level since 1988, with only 22.8 million eggs.
This shortage, caused by the spread of avian flu and the loss of breeding livestock, has contributed to a 6% decrease in Turkey’s production this year compared to 2023.
Americans paid about $2.08 per pound, which is about $31 per bird that feeds 15 people.
And even though there were fewer turkeys, the price was down 12 percent from last Thanksgiving.
