The chicken eggs are the preferred egg variety, and as such, they are the eggs that we compare other eggs to. One such option is peacock eggs. However, the big question that many egg enthusiasts ask themselves is; how big are peacock eggs?
However, other egg options are fast gaining popularity. This is because more individuals are learning to appreciate other egg flavors.
Generally, an average peacock egg is about two inches wide and three inches long. It is vital to note that these peacock egg sizes vary based on the peacock’s age, breed, and health.
Are Peafowl Eggs Bigger Than Chicken Eggs?
Typically, the accepted standard for egg size comparison is the chicken egg. This is basically because every person has seen and is familiar with the size of a chicken egg.
However, the accepted truth is that even chicken eggs are different in size. Chicken eggs depend on the chicken breed, chicken health, chicken age, among other factors. This makes it difficult for some individuals even to get the egg comparisons right.
With that in mind, we will try our best to give you the best picture and understanding of the peacock egg compared to the egg size. As such, I would like to let you know that all egg weights and sizes in this article are just an estimation.
We have done our best to get the ultimate average egg size estimate for peacock and chicken. However, As I had pointed earlier, you need to note that the egg sizes vary based on the bird’s health, age, bread, among other factors.
The size of peacock eggs is more significant than chicken eggs. For instance, they are around 50% larger than chicken eggs. In a size-to-size comparison between the peacock eggs and chicken eggs, you can easily spot the difference in size.
An average chicken egg size is about 2.5 inches or 63.5 mm long and 1.5 inches or 38 mm wide. On the other hand, an average peacock egg size is 3 inches or 76 mm long and 2 inches or 50 mm wide.
As such, you should expect the egg yolk size of a peacock egg to be bigger than that in the chicken egg. Besides, there is a slightly larger yolk to egg white ratio in peacock eggs than chicken eggs.
In terms of weight, an average peacock egg weighs more than an average chicken egg. For instance, an average chicken egg weighs about 50 grams, while an average peacock egg weighs about 110 grams.
How Much Do Peafowl Eggs Weigh?
There is no best way to understand the difference between the chicken egg and peacock egg than taking the weight of the two eggs.
An average peacock egg weighs about 110 grams which is almost two times more than the average weight of a chicken egg. In comparison, according to the United States Department.
To help you better understand how much peafowl eggs weigh, the weight of one pecan egg is two times or three times the age of a chicken egg.
Can You Eat Peafowl Eggs?
One fact that you did not know is that all bird eggs are edible, although the tiny eggs are worth the effort.
Peafowl eggs are no exemption; you can eat them. There is no other notable difference between a chicken egg and a peafowl egg other than the size.
I find the taste of a peafowl egg and a chicken egg pretty much the same. However, many individuals argue that peafowl eggs taste richer, flavorsome, and gamier.
In my case, I have hardly noticed any difference between the taste of these two eggs. For instance, I would say that many individuals fail to understand that the taste of a bird’s egg entirely depends on that bird’s diet.
As such, to adequately compare the taste of eggs laid by both peafowl and chicken, you will need to feed them on similar quality feeds that are rich in natural proteins.
There is a massive world of difference between the eggs laid by commercially kept poultry and those laid by ‘free roaming’ poultry that eats weed greens, insects, grains, wild seeds, among others.
How Long Does It Take for Peacock Eggs To Hatch?
Peacock eggs take 28 days to 30 days to incubate. The simplest and ultimate method allows your peacock to incubate their eggs in an open or a largely confined coop for about six weeks to seven weeks.
However, you need to note that younger peacocks find it difficult to settle in confinement. In such an instance, you can gather their eggs and have them incubated artificially in a similar way as the chicken.
Artificially incubated peacock eggs can be reared in confinement like turkeys or brooded by a turkey foster mother.
Suppose you choose to hatch or incubate the peacock eggs yourself; it is vital to ensure that the eggs are fertilized. Many individuals overlook this, though as it sounds obvious.
What Do Peafowl Eggs Look Like?
If you have a large flock of mixed birds that lay eggs, you should not be concerned about identifying a peacock egg from the rest.
Peacock eggs are larger and typically easier to identify when mixed with eggs from other poultry. This may not be the case for chicken eggs, duck eggs, and geese eggs that look almost similar.
First, when you are looking to identify a peacock egg, you should probably be picking the largest egg. There is not many poultry that lays larger eggs.
Secondly, the eggshell of peacock eggs is thicker than that of the chicken egg. As such, to identify a peacock egg, you need to look for an egg whose eggshell feels hard to break.
Third, the color of a peacock egg is oof-white or milky white for the most part. However, you can also find peacock eggs colors such as pale pink, yellowish-brown, pale yellow, or reddish-brown.
As such, if you have never seen a peacock egg, you need to be hyper-vigilant about identifying your first peacock egg. The moment you see one, you will realize that it is super easy to spot them another time in the future.
How Often Do Peacocks Lay Eggs?
Peacocks are typically expected to lay one egg every two to three days. The egg clutch size varies between four to twelve, with an average clutch size being six.
If you remove eggs while the peacock sits on them, she will keep laying through the entire breeding season.
Typically, your peacock will lay eggs in three cycles during the breeding season if you keep picking the eggs daily. They might lay for a whole month straight before stopping for about seven to ten days. After this period, they will start laying again.
Sometimes, the peacocks do not stop laying eggs altogether. They instead lay one egg after every few days instead of laying daily.
Usually, when fed on the best diet, peacocks will lay an egg each day, and in most instances, they lay the eggs in the late afternoon or just before dark.
However, if you do not collect the eggs daily as the peacock lays them and accumulates them to form a clutch, your peacocks will have a high chance of going broody.
Will Peacock Eggs Fit in Egg Turner?
If you are planning to incubate your peacock eggs, you need not be concerned about whether the peacock eggs will fit in your egg turner? We got you covered.
Many individuals have a fifteen chicken egg turner. The big question they face is if the peacock eggs will fit in it. And if they do fit, they still do not understand whether to put the peacock eggs at a mostly vertical angle similar to what they do with the chicken eggs.
From my experience, peacock eggs are almost the same size as the turkey eggs that fit perfectly in the same trays I use while incubating chicken eggs. Of course, most trays are in an auto-turner inside a cabinet incubator.
If you have extra-large jumbo chicken eggs that always fit in your turner perfectly, then the peacock eggs will fit in it perfectly.
In Summary
I think I have exhaustively covered everything you need to know about peacock eggs in the article.
Generally, peacock eggs are larger compared to chicken eggs. Besides, they are easy to identify. As such, you do not have to be concerned about the peacock eggs getting mixed up with chicken eggs or eggs laid by other poultry.
