broody hens eggs

[ionabucket]

Hi this is my first go at BackYard chickens,

I have just found out that one of my 15 hens are broody because of another hens attitude and there were 20 eggs in a nest in the hedgerow, she has only been broody for 3 day but I was wondering if the eggs were edible or not after being so hot for a long time

Thanks for the help

 

[Pyxis]

Are they fertile? If so by day three you can actually see the embryo while candling so unless you want some embryo for breakfast I wouldn't eat them Probably best not to eat them either way, because at this point they've been at 100 degrees for over three days now. It might be fine but it's better to be safe.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Are they edible? Well, probably, depends on your tastes. In some cultures a developing or developed egg is considered a delicacy. Look up Balut. Yours haven’t developed nearly enough to be considered Balut but they are probably edible. If the eggs are fertilized the embryo has started to develop. You will see blood veins and such when you open the egg. Personally I have not tried them and have no intention to. I can’t get past the YUK! Factor, but some people enjoy eating things like that.

As long as an egg does not have bacteria inside they are safe to eat. If they have bacteria they will have a rotten egg smell, really noticeable. Bacteria can get through the porous shell but the last thing a hen puts on an egg is a layer of liquid called “bloom”. That liquid dries really quickly and forms a barrier to help stop bacteria getting in. That’s why a hen can lay an egg a day to create a clutch of eggs then incubate them for three weeks without bacteria getting inside. Bloom is not perfect but it is pretty effective.

The inside of an incubating egg is perfect for rapid bacteria growth. The egg itself is the perfect food, many laboratory cultures for bacteria use eggs. The temperature of an incubating egg is perfect for rapid bacteria growth just like it is perfect for the chicken embryo to grow. It doesn’t matter if the egg is fertile or not. If bacteria gets inside it will grow rapidly.

Are those eggs edible? Probably for some people but not for me.