The Simple Reason New Yorkers Don’t Eat Turkey Eggs

I was caught off guard the other day by a question that was as simple as it was baffling: why don't we eat turkey eggs in New York? It led me down a rabbit hole to find the answer.

Thanksgiving is finally here, and while we all have our favorite foods to eat when our families gather around the table (as well as the dishes we wish were banned), there's no argument over the fact that the holiday doesn't feel complete without a turkey... but what about turkey eggs?

Why Don't We Eat Turkey Eggs in New York?

It was a question I couldn't believe hadn't been brought up until now. Of course nearly every refrigerator in American has held a dozen chicken eggs, and grocery stores across the Hudson Valley have also been carrying duck eggs in higher and higher numbers. Even Ostrich eggs can be found for sale... so what about eggs from our wattled friends?

The Simple Reason Why We Don't Eat Turkey Eggs

The answer, funnily enough, is only about price. While chickens and ducks are veritable egg-laying machines, turkeys are far less productive. Add the size of a single turkey to the equation and you can begin to see how unsustainable a turkey egg operation could be. From modernfarmer.com:

Turkeys are more expensive to raise in a factory setting, requiring much more space and food than a chicken... turkey eggs [also] tend to be more expensive, usually around $3/egg – about as much as a dozen commodity chicken eggs

The math means that farmers make more money raising the turkey that's growing inside the egg than selling the egg itself. That being said, with the continued influx of rich out-of-towners buying second homes in the Hudson Valley, a $3-per-turkey-egg stand might turn a tidy profit on the right street corner...