Confused about fertile eggs vs. non-fertile

[joebryant]

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Arg, that "balut" sounds blahhhhh!
I've eaten lots of "thousand year old eggs" though; actually, they're not bad. Truth be told, if it swims in the water of China, walks on four legs in China, or flies through the air of China, Anne and I have eaten it. The first time we were there was shortly after the Cultural Revolution, and it didn't take us long to learn not to ask what it was we were eating... meat's meat when you're hungry.

i learned the very same thing from my brother in laws mother in law. She is a pure bred redneck born in the Curry branch in Ky. Never ask whats in the stew, it might be possum or squirrel. I pretty much eat everything now except for dog, cat and the thing thats hanging on the northend of a southbound bull.

Conny, when I was a boy in Kentucky, my dad was a trapper. We lived so far back in the woods that God didn't know where we were and got lost trying to find us. Whatever Dad caught in the traps, that was our meat for the day. Ain't much in Kentucky either that I ain't eaten at one time or another.

 

[akyramoto]

Just collect them daily

I actually had to get rid of my roosters becuase no one would buy my eggs becuase they 'might' be fertile. GAH!! drives me nuts!! I never had anyone find a developed chick - but they still would freak out about it & wouldn't buy them

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

Thanks, I feel better now. I do know one time, I bought some fresh eggs, (or so I thought) and saw a little chick - not fully developed. It totally grossed me out. But I guess if I remove them daily, I shouldn't have a problem.

 

[joebryant]

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Wanna talk about ignorance, until I started reading about chickens a couple of months ago, I thought that the white spots/blobs on each side of the yolk was rooster sperm, indicating a fertilized egg, and I'd always cut it out if I saw it or though of it (not that I cooked an egg all that often).
Imagine my surprise when I read in a chicken book this spring that those were broken strands that kept the yolk suspended in the center of the egg before the shell was broken.
I think most people think the same thing; lots of my relatives/friends admitted thinking so when I asked them.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I may be wrong, but I don't think a fertile egg could start developing unless it were being constantly incubated by a broody hen or electric incubator. I don't think this would happen even under a succession of hot hens just using the nest box for their daily deposits.

Therefore you shouldn't be finding any partly-developed chicks in your fertile eggs unless you took them out from under a hen that had been brooding them for a few days or more. If you collect all the eggs daily there shouldn't be any development occuring.

The occasional blood spot or meat spot aren't chicks or rooster autographs, just a bit from the hen's egg-making equipment. You can use the cracked eggshell to fish it out.

When I give/sell folks eggs I just ask them if they're vegetarians. If they are, I'll tell them the eggs are fertile, since some folks have convictions against eating anything that's alive, even an itty-bitty fertilized cell. But many vegetarians aren't that sensitive, and usually are more knowledgable about & receptive to eating fertile eggs. It's often those who put much less thought into what they eat who are the most concerned about eating fertile eggs, fearing they'll find half-baked chicks inside.

I hope your roo works out well for you & your flock. Try to win his affections by offering him treats and always treating him with kindness. I hope he responds and turns into one of the mannerly gentlemen roosters. A good roo is a benefit to the flock, watching out for the hens' welfare, notifying them of good food and announcing the presence of predators.

Aggressive roos are good for soup.

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

At first I was against a roo and now it may have a good home as long as it's nice and not aggressive towards me or my family. I'll try to give it love and treats but so far the little roo doesn't want anything to do with treats. The girls come first then the roo but by then it's all gone. He's a little slow. He always was since we got him (he was an injured one and delayed than the others)

 

[Sunny Side Up]

In my opinion, a rooster's temperment has more to do with his inborn nature rather than the nurture he receives. If he's born to be wild then there's little you can do to change that. If he's neutral, then rough handling could push him to be more aggressive & wary, and kind treatment could make him more friendly. Others are born curious & unafraid and more willing to come for treats and to be held.

All you can do is try to condition all your chicks to acquaint you with treats to eat and kind handling. Don't offer treats every time, sometimes just talk nicely to them instead. If they don't know when to expect you to bring treats, they'll be more hooked on running up to you when they see you. Get them used to taking treats from your hands, or toss it close to your feet.

Let's hope your roo has a mannerly temperment that will only be reinforced through your kind treatment. I like having a roo with my hens, it seems to make for a more balanced chicken society as well as providing predator protection. And it's always endearing to see a roo buk-buk-buk to call his hens when he finds something tasty to eat instead of gobbling it up himself.

But if this guy turns out to be aggressive, give him the ol' hot water cure and look for another with better manners.

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

so far this one that I know is a roo, is not aggressive but scared alot of the time. (he was injured when I got him)

Although I think one in my Light Brahma mix is a rough one.

How many roos can you have when you have 13 hens?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

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One, or two if they are cooperative & don't fight too much

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

one is looking like it's gonna be small, almost looks like a bantam. So he probably won't put up too much fight.