Lots of questions answered about Ostrich Eggs: eggshell facts, how often are ostrich eggs laid, ostrich egg nutrition facts, how many chicken eggs one ostrich egg replaces, recipes, pricing and where to buy one! Ostriches are a fascinating creature and lay a fascinating egg! Don’t miss out on this delicacy!
Ostrich Egg
Ostrich Eggs Size and Facts
Ostriches. What a remarkably funny bird! But it doesn’t stop at just the bird! Their EGGS are fascinating to learn about too!
This bird lays an egg that is the largest of all eggs laid which isn’t surprising coming from the largest bird in the world. But how funny! Their eggs are the smallest eggs when compared to the proportion of the egg size to the hen’s size and weight!
So, how big is this egg?
6 inches long. SIX INCHES!
And a whopping 15-18 inches in circumference. I wouldn’t even be able to put my hands around one egg! And one egg weighs over 3 pounds.
And that three pounds? It can feed 18 people one big ol’ scrambled egg. And if you’re really hungry, one meal a day of ostrich egg will get you a well rounded 2000 calories.
You will have to plan ahead…way ahead… for deviled eggs. It only takes 1.5-2 hours to hard boil one of these pearly white eggs.
You can find a lot of articles here on A Life of Heritage that will teach you a lot about poultry and be sure to check out The Profitable Poultry Bundle–It’s FULL of to-do lists, checklists, record keeping sheets, and resource pages that will keep your flock healthy and YOU organized!
And ostriches really have the whole communal living thing figured out. One big lady…the dominant female…lays 12-15 eggs in a nest. The rest of the ladies? Up to 7 of them lay more eggs in the same nest but on the outside of the nest. And get this! They each can tell which egg is there’s after it’s laid and in the nest!
And the best part? They make those males pull their weight! The hen sets on the eggs during the day, which makes sense because her brown feathers blend in with her surroundings quite nicely and at night the male ostriches set on the eggs. Again, their black feathers blending in beautifully with the darkness of night. And they set on those eggs for 42 days… if a predator doesn’t get to them first. The likelihood of an egg making it to hatching is only 10%.
And if that cute hatchling can actually get to adulthood by surviving all the predators just waiting for a snack, they can live to be 35-40 years in the wild and up to 50 years old in captivity and are productive for about 25-35 of those years.
~Source and Source and Source and Source
Ostrich Eggshells
Their shells are a pearly white or cream color and have a thickness of .06 inches. Just strong enough to bear the weight of a grown man. No biggy!
The hardy, strong, big and beautiful egg shells have been used to make beautiful artifacts and can be carved on, hand painted, and engraved. They even can sell for up to $150 when turned into elegant art.
Does the Ostrich Egg Have the Largest Cell?
Why yes it does. It couldn’t just stop at being the biggest egg. It also acquired the title: “Largest Cell”. The ostrich egg contains the largest existing single cell currently known. Isn’t that amazing?
How Often Does an Ostrich Lay an Egg?
The hen usually lays between mid-March and to about mid-August and can lay up to 100 eggs per year. Her main objective is to fill a nest with 12-15 eggs and will lay about every other day to do this. After the nest is filled with about 15 more eggs from other hens (with the nest sometimes holding up to 60 eggs!), the ostriches will start setting.
If eggs are taken from the nest daily, they will lay for a longer period of time.
What Does an Ostrich Egg Taste Like?
It seems that the general consensus is that ostriches taste kinda like a chicken egg but slightly sweeter if not even a little gamey.
But good, right? An ostrich egg would be great to eat and if not a personal preference, what an experience! And who would pass up an opportunity to eat an ostrich egg?? I hope you wouldn’t no matter what you’ve heard about their taste!
If you are interested in more reviews on the taste follow this link.
Are Ostrich Eggs Good for You?
Ostrich eggs are a healthier choice in that they have much lower cholesterol levels and slightly lower saturated fat.
Ostrich Egg Nutrition Information
The contents of an ostrich egg make up a grand total of 2000 calories! A huge breakfast meal… or an entire day worth of meals!
Like a chicken egg, it has approximately 47% protein and 45% fats and also contains calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin E, riboflavin and thiamine and trace elements like magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc, copper, and iron. It does, however, contain less vitamin E and A, manganese, and zinc than a chicken egg does but slightly more magnesium and iron.
How Many Chicken Eggs are Equal to An Ostrich Egg?
One ostrich egg has the mass of approximately 25 hen’s eggs.
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