Can you eat fertile eggs?

[adgcountrygirl]

I don't know! Sometimes their wattles I guess their called, freak me out if they are big!

My dominate roo is the only one allowed to be with the girls when they are free-ranging, and he is the one with the biggest wattle. I always wondered if it had anything to do with their hormone levels, because he was the biggest from the time the oldest ones were all chicks.

 

[SheriLee]

This is a great thread, thank you to everyone for some awesome info! I have 6 chicks, now 8 weeks old. We have figured out that we have a rooster as well. He has the sweetest disposition and has been good with all of his girls. We initially thought, if one of them turned out to be a rooster, we would give him to another home. But I am so very attached to him! I have let my neighbor's know, it's only fair. They don't seem to mind. Why would they? They'll be getting free eggs!!

 

[aoxa]

They are more fluffy because the protein is more relaxed when the egg is at room temperature, and will beat to a higher volume(i.e. making scrambled eggs), because more air is incorporated into them. This is why you want to have room temperature eggs or egg whites when you make cakes, meringue, etc....anything that requires beating to incorporate air.

Thanks for the explanation

 

[Havenhill Farn]

I love this thread. I have an OEG mix(came from my neighbor) and some porcelain booted D'uccles that I am trying to hatch eggs from. We will see how it goes since I don't really have an incubator, but I looked up on here on how to make my own. We have our fingers crossed that at least one will hatch.

 

[mommy of two]

Can you make a hen go broody to hatch eggs?

 

[themadchicken]

Can you make a hen go broody to hatch eggs?

No, but some breeds are more pron to go broody. Most bantams go broody often. My sikies are like clockwork. The go broody , hatch eggs, raise chicks to 4 weeks, start laying eggs and go broody 2-4 weeks later.

 

[aoxa]

Can you make a hen go broody to hatch eggs?

You can 'entice' them... if they are a breed that normally goes broody.. like a silkie, a cochin, a Sumatra, a Old English Game..

Add an egg a day to a nest she prefers.. Let them build up. You can add golf balls instead of eggs. A hen will go broody when she feels like she has enough in a clutch. Not always mind you, but it has encouraged a few of mine to set.

 

[newpioneer75]

Wondered about firtilized eggs too. Thanks. I have a couple of Silkie chicks, so we're not sure yet if we have a roo. It would be weird to get a Silkie - New Hampshire Red mix. Are there any breeds that will not cross breed?

 

[Elbs]

I have a mixed flock, with "mutts" and I love them! If you're not showing, you can argue that the genetics of a mixed breed are better as those pesky recess traits don't pop up as frequently (think hip displasia in German shepherds).
On the original topic lol, I eat and sell my eggs and I have a roo. The only thing is that I won't sell the ones I was lazy with and left in the nest for an extra day. Even then, you can't tell! No blood spots will form for a couple days.
PLUS! While it's fairly well established as an urban myth that fertilized eggs have lower cholesterol, I was reading in a medical journal that they do have lower total fats. So keep your handsome roo. And follow the one poster's suggestion of hug therapy! Caesar can get cranky, but I remind him that I brought him into this world and so can take him back out. We just hug it out...
Here is Caesar the mutt-roo and his mixed harem.

 

[mommy of two]

I actually tried the "hug therapy" with one of my RIR that is finicky and doesn't like to be held and she fell asleep in my arms. That is an interesting fact about fertilized eggs, I had never heard it before!