Can you determine if an egg is fertilized on the first day?

[conniebug]

We have six chickens, and one turned out to be a rooster. We are in the process of building a separate coop for him, but in the meantime, we don't want to bet any fertilized eggs. Can candling show fertilization on the first day? Or should we just not eat the eggs until we have the rooster separate?

 

[Veer67]

You can eat fertilized eggs they are not different from unfertilized eggs. If you crack an egg open and it has a white bullseye mark on the yolk then it should be fertilized.

 

[CosmoTheRooster]

Building a separate coop is a waste of time and a bad idea in my opinion. Chickens are very social animals, so they need to have a flock structure. Having a rooster with laying hens is beneficial in most cases. He WILL fertilize most of the eggs, but if you collect them within a day they are no different than an unfertilized egg. Most people with backyard chickens eat their eggs, and if you pay attention they usually have a rooster. Roosters do the following:

• Protect against predators
• Keep the pecking order in line
• Alert the flock of danger
• He is there if you ever want chicks from your hens

Those may not sound like solid reasons, but they are. I can not emphasize enough, eating recently fertilized eggs and unfertilized eggs is the same thing. Do some research on it, and save money on the second coop you would build.

-Cosmo

 

[kmollyhughes]

Building a separate coop is a waste of time and a bad idea in my opinion.  Chickens are very social animals, so they need to have a flock structure.  Having a rooster with laying hens is beneficial in most cases.  He WILL fertilize most of the eggs, but if you collect them within a day they are no different than an unfertilized egg.  Most people with backyard chickens eat their eggs, and if you pay attention they usually have a rooster.  Roosters do the following:

• Protect against predators
• Keep the pecking order in line
• Alert the flock of danger
• He is there if you ever want chicks from your hens

Those may not sound like solid reasons, but they are.  I can not emphasize enough, eating recently fertilized eggs and unfertilized eggs is the same thing.  Do some research on it, and save money on the second coop you would build.

-Cosmo

Agree 100%~ We love our roosters and they love their girls. We have three roosters in a large group of girls. They've all adopted their own set of girls. Very cute. 2 silkies (Shrek and Eggbert) roosters and a backyard mutt (Red).

 

[conniebug]

How is an unfertilized egg no different than a fertilized egg? Wouldn't a fertilized egg eventually turn into a chicken?

Is there a way to tell if it's fertilized without cracking the egg? That seems to defeat the purpose of doing no harm to the embryo.

I've looked at candling, but all I've seen on it seems to only work after several days.

As to the bigger coop, we are building one anyway, as our current coop is rather small. If being in a separate coop and run would be traumatic for the rooster, I could look for another family for him, but there aren't many families in our area interested in a pet rooster. I'd be afraid they'd eat him.

 

[donrae]

A fertile egg only starts to develop an embryo after it's been incubated at 100degrees for several days. Folks the world round have eaten fertile eggs for thousands of years. I've always kept roosters in with my layers. I collect eggs every day or every other day and have never, ever had a nasty surprise. If you don't let the eggs incubate, you won't get and embryo. Collect eggs every day and you'll be fine. Honestly, you'll never be able to tell the difference of a fertile egg, it tastes exactly the same and takes quite the trained eye to spot the fertile spot.

You may get meat or blood spots in your eggs, those have nothing to do with the rooster. Those are normal for new layers to have once in a while, roo or no.

 

[appps]

They mean it looks no different if you collect eggs daily to an unfertilized egg when you are cracking and eating them. You can eat fertilized eggs collected daily and never know the difference. Unless the warmth is applied by broody hen or incubator it will never start to develop into a chicken.

Its only after a hen has sat on an egg and kept it at the warmer temperature for a week or so that you would have any development take place and so be able to candle the egg and see something to distinguish it from a non fertilized egg.

To see earlier than that requires cracking of the egg and looking for a little bullseye in the white spot all eggs have. Those eggs will still not start developing chicks though unless they are incubated though. So basically no different to a non fertilized egg.

 

[CosmoTheRooster]

A fertile egg only starts to develop an embryo after it's been incubated at 100degrees for several days. Folks the world round have eaten fertile eggs for thousands of years. I've always kept roosters in with my layers. I collect eggs every day or every other day and have never, ever had a nasty surprise. If you don't let the eggs incubate, you won't get and embryo. Collect eggs every day and you'll be fine. Honestly, you'll never be able to tell the difference of a fertile egg, it tastes exactly the same and takes quite the trained eye to spot the fertile spot.

You may get meat or blood spots in your eggs, those have nothing to do with the rooster. Those are normal for new layers to have once in a while, roo or no.

Agreed

 

[conniebug]

Okay. I was concerned. We are vegetarians, and just couldn't handle the idea of eating something that could become a chicken.

 

[CosmoTheRooster]

Okay. I was concerned. We are vegetarians, and just couldn't handle the idea of eating something that could become a chicken.

I can understand that, but you are 100% safe.

-Cosmo