Are you thinking about purchasing some guinea fowls and want to know the color of their eggs? I can tell you from experience that they lay either white or pale blue eggs. I decided to write an article sharing what specifically to expect with those colors.
What Color Are Guinea Fowl Eggs?
If you’re wondering what shade of egg you can expect after getting guinea fowl, the answer is: it depends. You see, there are a number of different breeds of guinea fowl that lay different color eggs. Some varieties lay white or cream-colored eggs, and some lay brown ones. They have small specks all over them and are about the size of a chicken’s egg.
What Does a Guinea Fowl Egg Look Like?
A Guinea Fowl egg typically weighs about 1 ounce but may range between 0.5 ounces to 1.5 ounces, depending on the size of the hen and her breed. The average length is about 2 inches and the average width at its widest point is about 1.5 inches—but again, there can be variation in those numbers from one egg to the next. Perhaps more telling than size is shape: they tend to be slightly oblong with a bit of a rounded end, sometimes likened to an American football or a kiwi fruit. Their shells are smooth and sometimes speckled.
In addition to their unique appearance, Guinea Fowl eggs have unique nutritional qualities that make them delicious as well as healthy (see below). They’re also known for having a very long shelf life—up to twice as long as chicken eggs—which makes them an attractive choice for farmers and food sellers alike.
Can You Eat Guinea Fowl Eggs?
You can eat guinea fowl eggs, but they take a little extra effort to prepare. The eggs are big and look similar to chicken eggs on the outside, but their shell color varies from white to grey to speckled. Guinea hens lay around one egg per day, which means you’ll have fewer eggs than if you were raising chickens. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, however. The flavor of guinea fowl eggs is richer than that of chicken eggs, so you might find that a couple go a long way in the kitchen.
If you’re cooking for one or two people, guinea fowl eggs are perfect for frying over easy or in an omelet. And because of their larger size, they make for impressive deviled eggs—just top them with candied bacon for some extra flair! They’re even good hard-boiled (with the yolk a beautiful orange), pickled (for use in salads), or baked into cakes and custards.
Because they’re so large, you’ll need more water to ensure that the shells don’t crack while boiling them. Use 10 cups of water per dozen large guinea fowl eggs and bring the water to a boil before adding the eggs.
Why Aren’t Guinea Fowl Eggs Readily Available?
Guinea Fowl eggs are smaller than chicken eggs and have a flavor similar to duck eggs but not quite as strong. They are also harder to find than chicken eggs—and here’s why.
First, they don’t lay as often as chicken eggs. They lay less than half of the number of eggs that chickens do, and people who raise them say they’re a little bit more prone to abandon their nests if they’re disturbed.
Additionally, they’re a little wilder than chickens; if they aren’t enclosed in a pen, they will disperse into the surrounding area looking for bugs and seeds.
They also don’t sit on their nests like a broody hen would; instead, they tend to share the duties with another female (or two) who take turns sitting on the nest for hours at a time while the others go out in search of food. This is why it’s so difficult for people who raise them to keep their nests from being disturbed by predators—you can’t just leave an egg-laying hen sitting on her nest all day every day like you can with chickens.
Should You Raise Guinea Fowl for Their Eggs?
If you’re planning to raise guinea fowl for their eggs, you might want to rethink your strategy. While guineas and chickens do have some things in common, they’re also very different birds—and when it comes to egg-laying, that difference is a big one.
Guineas don’t lay eggs nearly as frequently as chickens do. A typical guinea hen will lay about 50 eggs per year, while a chicken can easily produce up to 200 eggs per year. In fact, guinea hens often go long stretches of time without laying at all and can even skip an entire season if they choose.
In Summary
In conclusion, Guinea eggs vary in color from brown to light brown, and they will have speckled dark brown spots. These colors allow the eggs to blend in within their environment to avoid predators from taking the eggs.
