Do eggs get heavier as babies grow?

[Rocket Raley]

I know this might be silly and I might be wrong but it caused a great debate tonight.

When I flipped the eggs tonight, I told my DH that eggs #3 and #6 felt heavier. I think they are growing.

Well my son (college kid) laughed at me, and my DH said that was not possible because even though they might be growing inside the eggs, they are not taking in anything from the outside therefore the egg will never be heavier then the original weight.

He may have a point, but it seems to me, that a baby chick in an egg verse a regular egg has got to weight more.

Any thought on this?

I have a bet on this so I really need your help on this.

 

[Kristina]

OK so the answer is.....the eggs loses weight. I don't know all the reasons but I do know that they lose weight

 

[silkiechicken]

An egg is a closed system. Due to evaporation of the liquid in the egg due the permeable shell, the egg will get lighter as you incubate it. It has to lose a certain percent of it's weight to hatch. There is no way it can get heavier normally...

 

[kstaven]

Eggs actually lose weight as they develop. Moisture bleeds out through the shell to provide a bigger air space etc ...

 

[Rocket Raley]

Thanks for yawls answers. It seems we were both wrong.

 

[Southern28Chick]

I would have thought the baby caused the egg to get heavier too. That was a good question. Learn something new everyday!

 

[Chellester]

The reason they may feel heavier to you is as the moisture inside the eggs evaporate and the air cell grows at one end, the matter inside the egg is no longer as evenly distributed as it was before incubation. This can make the egg feel heavier even though it is actually lighter.

 

[sheltielover]

Lol had the same question !
Thx

 

[thor lover]

Then whats right?

 

[buddyboo]

thanks very much for the awser