Can I write on an egg with permanent marker?

[Portia]

I only started marking mine when I found hens sitting on my broodies to lay their eggs. When my egg collection rate went down by 1/2 I knew I had to do something or the broodies would end up falling out of the nest due to the growing pile of eggs under them. So, marking was in order. This also helped to assure that there weren't any 'special'

surprises when opening an egg that had actually been slated for a hatch. Good thing the person with that egg was a good ole farm girl. Ah well, live an learn.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Would a washable, crayola, kid's marker hurt the egg? Also, Sharpies are nontoxic nowadays.

 

[kingmt]

When I started marking the eggs I just wanted to know how long they had been in the fridge. I considered whether to use a pencil or a marker. I thought about all the important things like: If I leave it in the fridge so I can find it will it still mark & If my kids get to it. Then I looked down & seen a pencil right in front of me. I decided the pencil would be the best choice. If I decide to use a broody then I will recall what I have read here today.

 

[starryeyes]

Thanks for posting this I have also wondered the same thing.


LOve this site

Starry

 

[Peacockvilla13]

You answered my question about pencil or sharpie marker on the eggs ,and it makes sense ,because eggs have a protective coat

 

[andreacroyle]

I have only read the first page of comments so if this has been answered i apologize. I am wondering if a sharpie will effect the broody duck.I have read that ducks can get "spooked" by the change of smell of things. I agree that nothing will stay on the eggs for a month besides marker, so i am wondering if anyone has an opinion of their broody ducks and the smell the marker will leave by marking the eggs??

 

[chiknhurder]

If the egg is fertile, writing on it with a Sharpie won't make it not fertile. It's either fertile or it's not, when it comes out of the hen. It doesn't get fertile later. Reduced fertility is caused by things that happen, or don't happen, before the egg is even laid.

Maybe these small, easy experiments can set your mind at ease, or if not, maybe other people's.

BTW, I always use black Sharpie, some of the other colors are not as reliable.

Write on a piece of paper with a Sharpie. Put a drop of water on it. I just did this, and it didn't bleed.

Write with a Sharpie on the shell of an egg you intend to eat. When you break it open, look inside the shell to see if it bled through. You'll see that it doesn't.

Take half of an eggshell, one that broke cleanly in half, so that you can float the shell like a little boat. Put some food coloring in a cup or bowl of water. Float your shell in the tinted water. Be careful not to get water inside the shell when placing it. Let it rest like that, undisturbed, overnight. Or for several days, if you like. See if any of the colored water seeps through the shell. You could even write on the outside of the shell with a Sharpie before you put it in the water, to see if that does anything at all.

The results are your scientific proof. You formed a theory and tested it. That's science. Won't get you published in a scientific journal, but it should help you see for yourself, what is and is not happening.

Sharpie ink is only liquid for a few seconds on the shell. Not long enough to soak in. Once the ink is dry, it's not going to oak into anything. It's dry. Even if you get the egg wet, the ink will not re-constitute. Shells are somewhat porous, but not so much as paper, so the comparison doesn't really work.

If all your eggs are hatched in an incubator, writing lightly with a pencil is fine, if that's what you're comfortable with. But if you set eggs under a hen, your marks will disappear. Then if other hens add eggs to the nest, you can't tell which they are, to remove them. I've also had multiple broodies, with eggs started on different dates, steal each others eggs. If I hadn't had them marked the dates set, with Sharpie, I couldn't have sorted them back out. I'd have lost a lot of chicks because of that.

What works in the house inside an incubator, won't necessarily work out in the hen house under a chicken.

I appreciate your concern for the chicks, I just think you're being concerned about things that don't actually happen.

I understand the other person's concern. These tests don't tell the whole story. What about the gases from the alcohol and glycol, both toxic substances, and something that's very obvious just as soon as you remove the lid from a marker? Just because the egg hatches doesn't necessarily mean that the chick is unaffected by the chemicals. People who use toxins around their livestock is fine by me but, personally, I like to keep all organic.

 

[andreacroyle]

I tried pencil and sharpie and neither stayed on regardless. I wrote on the one egg we decided to keep 3 or 4 times and it just rubbed off. Daphanie hen never got spooked that i wrote on her egg and the egg is still developing. The egg has no poo on it, but i live in Fl with lots of humidity?? Not sure why it didnt stick. I read all the opinions and my own personal decision is....I cant be picky about every little detail. If I am going to be worried about chemicals in a marker then I need to be worried about the tap water I use and what may have been in the soil they live on prior to us buying the house and the chemicals in the paint and wood that makes up their home. I love that everyone has their own concerns and I enjoy reading about them. However, in life we have to choose what is really important to us. If we choose to worry about every little detail then how will we have time to live happily. This is one issue (chemicals in marker affecting egg) that I am going to have to let go. Thanks for taking the time to post all of your comments!

 

[chiknhurder]

If I am going to be worried about chemicals in a marker then I need to be worried about the tap water I use and what may have been in the soil they live on prior to us buying the house and the chemicals in the paint and wood that makes up their home. This is one issue (chemicals in marker affecting egg) that I am going to have to let go. Thanks for taking the time to post all of your comments!

I respect your right to your opinion. Isn't it great that we all have that right? Please don't take this personal because I'm just trying to illustrate a point. This very attitude is why we find our world full of the toxic things that you mention. Sure! It's just chemicals on an egg shell. It's just a little lead in the paint, a little Roundup in your bread and cereal, a little 2-4-D on the lawn, a little petroleum products in your drinking water, a little mercury in your fish, a little BGH in your milk. I could go on and on but I think my point has been made. It's not just one little thing. It's an accumulation of everything and where will it end if we all don't do our part? The fact is that our planet is so polluted now and cancer is the new number 1 killer because people have stopped caring.

 

[andreacroyle]

I respect your right to your opinion. Isn't it great that we all have that right? Please don't take this personal because I'm just trying to illustrate a point. This very attitude is why we find our world full of the toxic things that you mention. Sure! It's just chemicals on an egg shell. It's just a little lead in the paint, a little Roundup in your bread and cereal, a little 2-4-D on the lawn, a little petroleum products in your drinking water, a little mercury in your fish, a little BGH in your milk. I could go on and on but I think my point has been made. It's not just one little thing. It's an accumulation of everything and where will it end if we all don't do our part? The fact is that our planet is so polluted now and cancer is the new number 1 killer because people have stopped caring.

Oh, I completely agree with you! I am not sure that my point came across which is the only bad thing i have found about these forums. I just won a month long battle with my husband for not using any chemicals on our home because of the new ducks. In the meantime termites are eating our wood home to bits until we find a health and safe alternative. We have invested in rain barrels so the ducks dont have the chemicals from the city water...even though we use it inside our house for showers. We dont use lawn sprays and I have invested in the most expensive waterfowl food (and supplements) I have found on the market for their nutrition, and i am looking into what plants grow in my area that i can fill their outside run in. I stopped using markers on the eggs after i read enough to be convinced that it isnt the best even though it doesnt stay on anyway. I am not "the person" that says lets ignore it all because we cant fix it anyway" I am the absolutely OCD person that gets upset over every aspect that I cant reasonably control. I was trying to say that, there has to be a balance between living and being responsible. You have to choose some things to let go and that will be different for everyone. This came from reading so much bickering about what is write when lots of it is just opinion.