Did you know you can eat the eggs from around 9,000 different types of birds? A lot of people are surprised to learn that most bird eggs are edible. We gather all sorts of eggs from our mixed flock of birds. People are either intrigued or disgusted when they think about eating eggs of different bird species, but there are lots of egg possibilities on the hobby farm including turkey eggs!

Did you know you can eat turkey eggs? Native Americans first ate wild turkey eggs hundreds of years ago that they were able to forage during the spring and summer. When early settlers took turkeys to Europe in the 1600s, their eggs became staples in some European diets as well. Turkey eggs aren’t that common to eat today though, and many most people don’t even know they lay eggs!

Whereas chickens start laying around five months of age, turkeys don’t until at least two months later. They also don’t lay nearly as many eggs as chickens do – only two eggs per week on average instead of one almost every day. If you’re curious about turkey eggs, you’ll be interested to know that they are larger than chicken eggs, and they’re also much harder to crack. I think they’re really pretty, with a slightly oblong shape and lovely speckles too.

Turkey eggs have a richer taste, and also more nutrients than chicken eggs. At around 50% larger than chicken eggs, turkey eggs have twice as many calories and fat, and about four times as much cholesterol. These rich eggs were used in restaurants like New York City’s Delmonico’s in the late 1800s to make famous turkey egg omelets and they’re also supposed to make a wonderful Béchamel sauce.

Turkeys are notorious for hiding their nests in difficult to spot locations, but if you happen to find a turkey nest with eggs, go ahead and try them! Most people think they don’t taste all that much different from chicken eggs so we’re curious to hear what you think as well! Let us know what you make and how you liked it!

If you’re curious about the other types of eggs we gather and eat from our mixed flock, learn more at Simplify, Live, Love.com.