Fertilized Eggs... Edible?

[jamiebartlett]

Hey.. This is probably a silly question

- but i've been pondering and my girls have been pondering too. We ended up with 2 roosters in our batch of 11 chicks, we lost 3 of them due to illness or compatibility. So now that leaves us with 8. My husband and I are exploring the idea of keeping both roosters. It'd be 2 roosters to 6 chicks (Same age group - right now 6 weeks old) and 4 hens (1 year old). I know there will be a chance that the hens may lay fertizlied eggs if the rooster gets his way with the girls eventually when they are old enough

, if eggs are collected every day - and put in the fridge or at room temperature, will they be any "diferent" than an unfertilized egg? I have this horrible illusion of cracking an egg open and finding a baby chick part way developed!

Thanks!
Jamie

 

[Oaknim]

As long as you collect eggs daily, I highly doubt you'll open up an egg with a baby inside. People who eat our eggs haven't said that they detect a difference between fertilized and unfertilized. An old farm friend of mine says she has to pick out the "rooster snot" from fertilized eggs because she won't eat them otherwise, but I have no idea what she's talking about. I told her she must think the chalazae (sp) is what she's referring to, but who knows. So, no, there is no difference that I know of between fertilized and unfertilized eggs, when collected and refridgerated properly.

~ Oaknim

 

[jamiebartlett]

Awesome!

Thanks! Do you think 2 Roo to 6 pullets their age, and 4 hens is too many roos? Their total Coop/Run/House space is 128 square feet. They can't free range. My neighbors SUCK at keeping their dogs at bay and beleive me when they visit they have been VERY interested!! If I didnt have a fortress I would be worried constantly! HA!

 

[Oaknim]

Um...I can't honestly say. It probably depends on the hens and roosters. I think the rule of thumb is 8-12 hens per rooster for large breeds and 12-16 hens per rooster for smaller breeds. Something along those lines. But we have 4 roos that share 12 hens at the moment. I know that three of them do not mate any of the hens, but bring them food and dance for them. Our head roo is the only one who gets to mount any of the girls and they clearly love him the best as they follow him around all the time. There has only been one really bad fight between Big Daddy (our head RIR) and Muffin (the Wyandotte), everyone else bluffs one another and goes about their way. I think I get attacked the most. I think if they work out their pecking order, they should get along fine. All I would really be worried about is the girls getting stressed out or losing back feathers. ~ Oaknim

 

[jamiebartlett]

Hmm, Thanks for the good advice! I appreciate it!

 

[missouridave]

Oh,

Please be very careful . Eating fertilized eggs is very much like swallowing watermelon seeds. You could very posssibly end up with a chicken in your belly. Or even worse, a rooster. Ohh my, I had an Uncle that died because he ate a fertile egg and ... BOOM, it happened fast. Twentyone days later a big ole rooster clawed out his belly ... from the inside.

We found him dead down by the pond, guts tore up, huge claw marks all around him and chicken liver thrown for yards. This was during an innocent night of fishing and drinking in the mountains where we live in Colorado.

And, well, that ain't the worst of it.

This happened during dinner at the truck stop up by the interstate, where my cousin Evelynn, had taken her husband (my oldest brother Tommy Sr.) and her neice and and sister, (Bobby,) Bobby is my aunt on daddy's side .... Well anyway they were there for their anniversary and Mother's Day birthday meal, and had the all night breakfast. Apparently, they had a real good time that night, dancing and drinking at the barn where Auntie raise her pigs and chickens. It was late, I suppose.

Well, just a few days after that, both Evelynn and Bobby both ended up pregnant.

You know what they had to eat?

That's right, eggs.

Just be forewarned, them fertile eggs are bad news, Be careful what you put in you mouth, young'in.

 

[Oaknim]

You're too much, missouridave. And you had me going at first...I was looking at the screen going, "WHAT?!" I think I'm going to be mean and tell my friends' kids that you can bury a fertilized egg and grow a chicken tree...hmmm...where's that dang smiley twiddling it's evil mustasche?! ~ Oaknim

 

[Sherry]

My Daddy told me, you have to have a rooster if you want deviled eggs, cause that's the kind a rooster lays.

 

[Oaknim]

That's funny.

One time, our head roo laid himself an "egg" right after he walked out of the coop and DH goes, "Holy crap! I think Big Daddy laid an egg!" So I smirked and said, "Go get it!" And just as he sunk his fingers into it I yelled, "It's poop you idiot!" Purty funny shtuff... ~ Oaknim

 

[Sherry]

Oh. So they lay soft boiled eggs too then. Good to know information.