Can you eat fertile eggs?

[CheekyMare]

I have silkies that will go broody if you just show them eggs. Bam! Instant setter. I find it both hilarious and convenient.

And we eat fertile eggs all the time. Not dead yet.

 

[outdoorsii]

Thank you! My husband is all worried if we end up having mixed breeds that they will be ugly chickens!

Almost every mixed breed mutt chicken I've had, has been freaking awesome I love them & I wish I could reproduce them.... here I'll show you some pics

1.) Silkie mom - Faverolle or Old English bantam roo!


2.) "Fudge" She is my ultimate sweetheart! I was told her daddy was a black Jersey Giant & besides another black jerse giant being the mother, all my friend had was Barred rocks & Production Reds - so I don't know HOW she got this look - except for maybe possibly in his Black giants genetics there could have been a recessive white gene hanging around & she got it! which is just awesome!


3.) "Jersey" This is my Jersey Giant that was supposed to be purebred - but somehow she turned out not to be also b/c of the obvious laces in her chest (WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO DEATH!!!) I do not know how she got them....I don't think a barred rock mom woulda given her lacy looking feathers like this...b/c she looks almost like my wyandottes from the front, other than that she's full Jersey!


4.) Lil Brat -- This is my little awesome guy! He's 1.25lbs! so are his 3 mixed girls His mother was purebred Nankin & his daddy was an Old English Black Breasted Red Bantam

5.) Galaxy is also one of my fav. mixes that I had to give to a friend b/c I had way too many roos! But His daddy was a Jersey Giant (obviously he JUST got his daddy's stature/weight ; his momma was a barred rock (obviously got all the rest of her features) So basically yea He's a Giant Barred Rock


6.) Lil Whitey - She's a mix from my Leghorn hen & my Golden Laced Wyandotte Rooster (staying mostly white, some black speckles here & there



7.) Cimmanin - I think he was a red sex link, shoulda known it was gonna be a boy w/the chick coloring - He's turning out pretty though....


These are my 2 Rhode Island Red mixes momma with a Golden Laced Wyandotte daddy. I can actually start seeing dark lacing coming through on the left pictures chest!!


8.) These 2 roosters were mixed with a mother leghorn & daddy Golden Laced Wyandottes...


9-11.) These 3 chickens were all fathered by my Golden Laced Wyandotte rooster, the mother of the white one is "Fudge" the Jersey giant from the pics above, & I'm not sure yet about the 2 black ones, I think I have 1 from my Australorp, & 1 of them is from my "Jersey" with the lacing on her front like the pics above


12.) Lastly here's a mix between my purebred blue silkie hen & she was mated with my Old english Nankin "LiL Brat" from the pics above, She has all the silky traits except the topknot!

SO Ya see Mixes CAN be quite interesting

 

[mommy of two]

They all look good an unique! I can't wait to start doing this with my chickens!

 

[Havenhill Farn]

ME tooo, makes you want to hurry up and do it now. lol

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Quote: Are EE's supposed to be good broodys? One of mine is always on the edge of broodiness. (My brother is convinced she doesn't have a 'normal' chicken noise- she always has a growlish tone!)

 

[labarn]

Heres my big baby. Daddy was a brahma. Mommy was a red sex link.I agree that roosters are one of the best things about having chickens

Beautiful! I am impatiently waiting the arrival of my chicks at the end of the month. Can only hope to get something so regal.

 

[GAFarmGirl87]

I'm about the try the golf-ball thing with my game hen. I'm pretty sure she's laying fertile eggs right now, as she's mated with the rooster a few times this week. I've left 1 golf ball in her laying bin, which seems to have helped her keep coming back to lay more eggs in the same place (she's a free-ranger). I think I'll lay a bunch of golf balls in there & see if she'll get broody enough to set. Keeping my fingers crossed that this will work...

I heard once a rooster fertilizes the hen, she can lay fertile eggs for about 7 days. Anyone here know if that's true?

I agree that having a rooster is a MUST if you live in a place where you're allowed to do so. And I have some pure breeds, but most of my flock are mutts, and I love them all! They are becoming more like pets every day! I started putting scratch in my hand to get them close to me, and now they eat out of my hand!

I love having chickens! =)

 

[steelchair]

I set seven eggs from four hens that were laid over two days. One of them was infertile. I have heard that about them being fertile for so many days, but in my experience the more the they are together the better the fertility rate.

 

[aoxa]

Are EE's supposed to be good broodys? One of mine is always on the edge of broodiness. (My brother is convinced she doesn't have a 'normal' chicken noise- she always has a growlish tone!)

Depends on their background really. I have never had an EE or an Ameraucana go broody, but many have. I wouldn't say they are a 'broody breed' but it's possible.

 

[judyki2004]

Mutts can be such beautiful birds if you dont mind about having pure breeds. In Puerto Rico, most if not all free range chickens are mutts if you go to my mom bacyard you will see some of the most colorful & beautiful chickens around!