Goose And Guinea eggs

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My Goose and guineas just started to lay. Do you use there eggs the same as you would a chicken egg. Is the taste or texture any different from a chicken egg. I hope that no one thanks that I sound stupid asking this but I have never ate one before. Thanks for your answers.

-- Denise Priest (jeremy37@indy.net), February 02, 2000

Answers

Denise, some people swear by duck eggs for baking. Others swear at anything that isn't a plain ole chicken egg. If you think anyone will resist eating them, just don't crack the eggs in front of them or tell them what they're eating.

I don't know about guineas, but waterfowl eggs can be a bit swampy tasting. Depends on where the birds are living and what they're eating. Waterfowl eggs have the reputation of being on the rubbery side, but since I can't fry eggs I can't give my opinion on the matter. I've always thought a plate of deviled goose eggs would be a show stopper at a potluck dinner but haven't screwed up the courage to do it yet.

My guess is guinea egg whites could substitute for chicken egg whites in recipes where the whites are measured, ie angel food cake. I'm not sure that goose egg whites would work. I'd say to start you might make scrambled eggs, and recipes that can easily by adjusted since that's one of the biggest problems of using non-chicken eggs. Maybe for a bit here, measure chicken eggs when you use them in a recipe, you obviously can't use 3 goose eggs when a recipe calls for 3 chicken eggs. But once you have a feel for the liquid measurment of chicken eggs, you'll be better able to adjust the amounts on non-chicken egg/s you put in a recipe.

Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), February 02, 2000.


Denise, you don't sound stupid. No one knows anything until they have asked or experienced it. Guinea eggs have a wonderful, delicate flavor that is far superior to chicken eggs, although I love eggs in general. The shells will be harder than a tom cat's head, but the taste is great. I used mine by substituting 2 guinea eggs for one large hen egg in cooking. It turns out just fine. I also have geese, but have never eaten any as I want them to reproduce. I know that in Colonial times, goose eggs were highly prized for baking. Duck eggs make your baked goods rise higher, and goose eggs are supposed to do an even better job. Again, I think it will depend on the diet of the waterfowl, as Gerbil said. If the water they play in is reasonably clean, the eggs of ducks taste good and are not rubbery. If they play in water that stinks, the eggs do to.

-- A.C. Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), February 03, 2000.

Back in the 60's my uncle owned about 1500 geese that he would turn out every morning to weed his cotton fields. (My grandparents' home was 3 miles away with woods between the houses-conversation on the back porch, towards my uncle's place, was well near impossible until the geese were all happily grazing!) He didn't want the females brooding eggs when they should be out eating weeds so he would collect the eggs and give them to anyone willing to take them. They were excellent for baking although I remember my grandmother and mother talking about their not being fit to eat fried, scrambled, etc. I also don't remember anyone actually trying it either. We had frozen goose eggs for ages after my uncle sold them and every school, church and civic organization for miles around that planned an Easter egg hunt that year had plenty of goose eggs to turn into the golden egg. The size impressed the socks off the little kids. The domesticated birds attracted wild geese and it was spectacular to see them all feeding together. I did learn the real meaning of "loose as a goose."

-- Marilyn Dickerson (rainbow@ktis.net), February 03, 2000.

I myself had a similar question, that was answered for me on a poultry forum. I can't answer about taste, but I do know how to use different size eggs in recipes.

I originally asked how to use eggs of different sizes in cooking other then scrambled, fried, boiled, etc... I also explained that though I didn't have any yet, I was going to get almost all types off poultry (chickens in standard & bantam, ducks, geese, black swans, guineas, pheasants, quail, chukar, & if I can find any ptarmigin & grouse). With this list (even if I only had a small number of each type of bird), I was going to have alot of eggs in alot of sizes. What I found out was the standard egg called for in most recipes was to have a liquid measure of 2oz per egg. With that in mind you could even use eggs of different sizes in a recipe (using a measure cup).

Hope this helps

animalfarms (aka Wendy Lewis)

-- animalfarms (j-wlewis@erols.com), February 04, 2000.


Can't speak for duck eggs, but I've had my share of goose and guinea eggs. Now, you can tell the difference in boiled or fried ones, because of the size. But if you scramble them so that identification aid is lost, I doubt you or anyone else can tell the difference. I suppose that I should point out that I am speaking about birds that have been fed the same things. If you put your guineas on a strict diet of fish innards and diced onions, you'd probably notice a difference. Good Luck!

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), February 07, 2000.


Denise, Its been yrs since I had a goose egg but I can tell you a couple things about guinea eggs. One is, guineas are very shy; If you disturb there nest they will abandon it. This may not apply if you are raising them in a pen. I would remove all but a couple or 3 eggs from the nest using a spoon. Dont touch the remaining eggs with your hand but put an x on them with a pencil. Daily collect the eggs that are not marked. If you spook them they will quit laying in that place. Guineas will all lay in the same place a lot of times in the wild and when the nest gets big a hen will go broody and hatch them. I never pen raised my guines but I hear you have to provide cover for them to lay. The eggs are good but when you fry them you better crack them on a cast iron skillet cause they are as a brick bat. I think they resemble a ranged chicken egg only smaller. By the way...how did you get your guineaus to lay in Feb., mine never started until May or so.

-- brian r (brian3006@msn.com), February 07, 2000.

As far as baking I believe you can use most fowl eggs in place of chicken eggs. To eat them boiled and otherwise I imagin it would be a matter of your taste. Actually I turned to tis page quite by accident, I was trying to learn where the saying "Loose-as-a goose" originated???

-- Jeannie Froats (froatsjeannie@hotmail.com), April 10, 2001.

I would like to know "How long do I cook a goose egg" Boil it that is! I know that Hen Eggs require 3-4 soft 4-5 middle and 8-10 hard when they weigh about 55-60 gramms Date 13 Friday time = 10.30 GMT Aussy Mac

-- Aussy Mac (aussymacde@yahoo.com), April 13, 2001.

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