Types of Eggs: Five Bird Eggs Compared With USDA Data

Types of eggs in USDA FoodData Central come from five birds: chickens, ducks, geese, quail and turkeys. This guide to the kinds of eggs USDA lists compares them in USDA SR Legacy data, first per egg at USDA’s own egg weight and then per 100 grams, with calories, protein, fat, iron and B12 and the FDA percent Daily Value, and sets out what FDA says about egg allergen labeling and handling. For chicken eggs alone, see our guide to egg nutrition.

Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

Types of eggs in USDA FoodData Central

USDA SR Legacy, the reference data set in USDA FoodData Central, files five raw whole eggs by bird in its Dairy and Egg Products group. The chicken entry is the one most shoppers know, and USDA also lists separate entries for chicken eggs that are hard-boiled, fried, poached or scrambled. Our guides to egg whites and quail eggs cover those foods in more depth. The table gives each USDA description and the weight USDA lists for one egg.

USDA weighs one large chicken egg at 50 grams, a duck egg at 70 grams, a turkey egg at 79 grams and a goose egg at 144 grams, while a quail egg weighs 9 grams in USDA data. In USDA’s account, a goose egg is close to three large chicken eggs by weight, and it takes more than five eggs from quail to match one large chicken egg.

Kinds of eggs per egg in USDA data

The table lists USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy values for one raw whole egg of each bird, at USDA’s own weight for that egg, ranked by calories. The percent Daily Value (%DV) uses the FDA Daily Values of 78 grams for total fat, 18 milligrams for iron and 2.4 micrograms for B12; protein has no %DV here because the FDA labeling rule bases a protein %DV on an amount corrected for protein quality.

In USDA data, one goose egg lists about 266 calories and 20.0 grams of protein, the highest values in the table, because it is the heaviest egg. A turkey egg lists 135 calories and a duck egg 130 calories in USDA data, against 72 calories and 6.3 grams of protein for one large chicken egg. One quail egg lists 14 calories and 1.2 grams of protein in USDA data.

B12 stands out per egg in USDA data: the goose egg lists about 7.3 micrograms, 306% of the FDA Daily Value, and the duck egg 3.8 micrograms, 158%, while one large chicken egg lists 0.4 microgram, 19%. A %DV above 100 is how the FDA label math works for a food with more of a nutrient than its Daily Value, not a target. See vitamin B12 and foods high in iron for rankings beyond eggs.

Comparing the five eggs gram for gram

Because the eggs differ so much in size, the next table puts every USDA entry on the same 100 grams, ranked by protein. It uses the same FDA Daily Values as the table above.

Per 100 grams, USDA lists 12.6 to 13.9 grams of protein for all five eggs, a narrow range. The differences show up in fat and calories: the USDA duck and goose entries list 185 calories per 100 grams and the chicken entry 143 calories. USDA lists about 3.6 to 4.1 milligrams of iron per 100 grams for the four eggs other than chicken, against 1.8 milligrams for the chicken egg. USDA SR Legacy values are averages of the samples USDA analyzed, so a package label, where one exists, is the figure for that product.

Shell color, grades and egg labels

USDA FSIS says “the breed of the hen determines the shell color” and that “nutrient levels are not significantly different in white and brown shell eggs.” FSIS lists three consumer grades for shell eggs, Grade AA, A and B. USDA SR Legacy has no separate entry by shell color for any of the five birds.

FDA counts every egg in this guide as a major food allergen. FDA’s allergen guidance (Edition 5, January 2025, nonbinding) counts eggs from chickens, ducks, geese, quail and other fowl as eggs for allergen labeling, and says that eggs from birds other than chickens must be declared in the ingredient list by common or usual name, such as “duck egg.” FDA lists eggs among the nine major food allergens, and FDA’s labeling rules do not replace an allergist’s advice.

Egg handling in FDA's words

FDA says fresh eggs “may contain bacteria called Salmonella that can cause foodborne illness,” and FDA requires cartons of shell eggs that have not been processed to destroy Salmonella to carry a handling statement: “keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly.” FDA advises storing eggs in a refrigerator at 40° F or below.

FDA’s egg advice adds: “Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm.” FDA says dishes containing eggs “should be cooked to 160° F,” checked with a food thermometer. For recipes that call for eggs that stay raw or undercooked, FDA points to shell eggs processed to destroy Salmonella “by pasteurization or another approved method, or pasteurized egg products.” FDA’s page does not set separate rules by bird, so the same FDA advice is the reference for duck, goose, quail and turkey eggs.

• Meat from the same birds: see our guides to duck, goose and turkey.
• Protein rankings: high protein foods and lean protein foods list eggs among other foods in USDA data.
• With breakfast: the sibling guide to types of coffee lists USDA caffeine values per cup.

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Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Types of Coffee: Brewed, Espresso, Instant and Decaf in USDA Data, Quail Eggs: Nutrition, Allergy Facts and Chicken Egg Comparison.