Comparative Sizes of Eggs. From Largest to Smallest: Goose – Duck – Chicken
There are many different species of poultry and the eggs from different species all have their own sizes, weight, development, and nutritional differences.
Chickens, Ducks & Quail Eggs
Commercially there are three species of poultry eggs commonly available: hens, ducks and quail.
Chicken Eggs
Chicken eggs are by far the most popular. Duck eggs being more likely to be found in independent shops and market stalls than in the supermarket. Quail eggs are often found in delicatessens, being considered a delicacy.
Duck Eggs
Duck eggs do have a slightly stronger taste than hens eggs and a different consistency to the white. They are slightly chewy – being the best description. They make for a really rich scrambled egg and are wonderful for baking.
Quail Eggs
Quail eggs are very small and really quite bland tasting. Most often they’re served or used in dishes having been hard-boiled. Peeling them can be very time consuming. If you boil in a mixture of half and half vinegar and water will make peeling easier.
Commercial Egg Production
The reason that commercial egg production for eating is limited to those three species is simple economics. They are the species that have breeds that lay prolifically. Under 200 eggs a year it becomes near impossible to produce an egg people will actually pay a price for that covers the costs of production. The cost of looking after a bird is more or less the same whether it lays 50 or 300 eggs a year.
Geese & Turkey Eggs
It may well be possible with selective breeding to increase the number of eggs laid by geese and turkeys but there just isn’t the market there to justify the effort.
Goose eggs are delicious, quite large and mostly white. Sadly you’ll be lucky to see 30 eggs a year per bird. Turkeys produce slightly more eggs than geese, up to 70 a year with a breed like the Norfolk Black, but once again not enough to be commercially viable.
Further Articles All About Eggs
- Araucana Egg Shell Colour & Genetics
- Build Your Own Artificial Lighting System for Winter Egg Production
- Changing Egg Yolk Colour with Feeding
- Double Yolk Eggs – What Causes Double Yolk Eggs?
- Egg Shell Colour Chart by Breed of Hen
- Egg Structure – The Structure of an Egg
- Eggs from Different Species
- Know Your Eggs? – Egg Descriptions Explained
- Marketing Your Surplus Eggs – How to Sell Your Eggs
- Nutritional Value of Eggs – Are Free Range Eggs Better for You?
- Pale Eggs – Egg Shell Colour
- Problems With Eggs – Yolks & Whites
- Saving Money – Economics of Home Produced Eggs
- Selling Your Surplus Eggs at Markets
- Selling Your Surplus Eggs from Home – Farm Gate Egg Sales
- Thin Eggshells – Causes & Cures
- What to do with Surplus Eggs? How to Store Eggs
