Yes, you can eat Guinea eggs just the same as you would a chicken egg. They look different in several ways and are about half the size, but taste almost identical.
What Do Guinea Hen Eggs Taste Like?
They taste the same as chicken eggs. The difference in how eggs taste comes from the diet of the hen that laid them.
The better their diet, by this I mean being able to graze free-range and having a quality commercial feed available, the better the egg tastes.
So, if you’re raising Guinea fowl you can expect their eggs to taste the same as your chickens.
They do have slightly different dietary requirements though. Guineas are a lot more self-sufficient and are much happier finding bugs (ticks), and eating weeds than chickens are.
You can check out this video if you want to see what Guinea eggs look like being fried:
Guinea Hen Eggs vs Chicken Eggs
I took a more detailed look at the differences between Guinea hen eggs and chicken hen eggs here if you’re interested.
While they taste very similar, Guinea and chicken eggs look and feel very different. So, there’s little chance you’ll get them mixed up if you keep both chickens and Guineas.
The key differences are:
- Color - Guinea eggs are a cream/white to light brown color and typically have speckled brown dots.
- Size - They are noticeably smaller than regular chicken eggs. In fact, Guinea eggs are usually about half the size of a large chicken egg.
- Shape - Guinea eggs are much more pointy at the top. Not exactly to a point, but compared to a chicken egg they are far less rounded.
- Shell - I almost feel bad for ruining this surprise. It’s always amusing to see someone break a Guinea egg for the first time as their shells are very strong.
If you tap it like you would a chicken egg, it isn’t going to break. You need to give them a good crack to break em open.
Related - How many eggs do Guinea fowl lay a year?
How Long Do Guinea Hens Sit on Their Eggs?
Guinea hens sit on their eggs for around 26 to 28 days to incubate them and bring them to hatch.
My understanding is that they will usually sit on a clutch of 12 or so eggs. If you don’t want your hen to go broody, you need to collect their eggs daily.
Another difference between Guinea hens and chickens is their laying behavior. Guineas like to hide their nest, as opposed to chickens that are happy to leave their eggs in a nesting box for us.
I think this is a nod to their behavior in the wild. They’ll prioritize finding somewhere safe to lay their eggs where predators will not easily find them.
If you have a large amount of land for your fowl to roam on and you haven’t seen any eggs yet, the likelihood is they’ve hidden them - you should get out there and take a good look.
Related - Do Guinea fowl chase snakes away?
Where to Find Guinea Hen Eggs?
This depends on where you live. I actually live near quite a few farms and large poultry businesses, yet it’s still hard to come by Guinea eggs for eating.
Supermarkets and stores don’t stock them. I have seen some at farmer’s markets on occasion, but that was more opportunistic than anything else.
There are a few hatcheries near me that sell fertilized Guinea eggs for hatching. If you also have hatcheries in your area, I recommend reaching out to them and seeing if they can help.
Related - Looking for keets or Guinea eggs for hatching? Find a hatchery near you here.
In Summary - Can You Eat Guinea Hen Eggs?
Yes, you can eat Guinea eggs. They taste the same as chicken eggs, the only reason why you don’t commonly see them for sale is that Guineas lay a lot fewer eggs than chickens.
This means it’s more expensive to keep them for egg production, especially as they're about half the size of a chicken’s egg. It’s a simple supply and demand problem.
If you’re keeping Guinea on your homestead or as part of your backyard flock, you can expect about 100 eggs a year. They’re very seasonal, so you’ll get most of those eggs in the summer months.
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Image credits - Header Image by butterflystroke from Pixabay
