Eating fertile eggs???

[michellerene]

But... "fertilized eggs" are offered as a specialty product and marketed as such, so someone must want to eat them, not just avoid them. Does that make sense?

 

[Heidi]

A friend of mine who use to raise chickens said that fertilized eggs are actually lower in cholestrol. Don't know if it's true or not, but she plans on buying my eggs since I will be keeping one rooster (my chicks are only 8 weeks old).

 

[thechickenfarmer]

Hmmmm, that's interesting. I'm gonna look into it, there has to be a reason I agree.

 

[Llysse]

I think the only thing the marketing label is meant to imply is that roosters were housed with the hens that produced the eggs--hence a more natural environment for the chickens. The label is also there so people who choose not to eat fertilized eggs for whatever reason can avoid them. A friend of mine believes they are more nutritionally balanced.

 

[4H kids and mom]

According to the American Egg Board and the American Dietetics Association, there is no difference in nutritional value. It is not true that different colored eggs, or fertile eggs have higher or lower cholesterol. Though people often try to market them as such, to make a buck.

The only way to change the nutritional value of an egg is to vary what you feed the hen. For instance, if you feed your hens Flax Seed in their diet, their eggs will be higher in Omega-3s. Also, free range hens will have eggs higher in certain vitamins, like B-12.

 

[homechick]

Whoa! Informative thread!
Tonight I went out with my fiance, sister and her boyfriend for my birthday dinner. I of course ended up defending my choice to raise chickens and to someday (when they start laying) eat their eggs. My sister thought that sounds dirty and that she would NEVER eat an unprocessed egg. I then wondered what is involved in this "processing" and if it makes any difference. I will eat my eggs. no matter what color or size! And if there does happen to be something on it.. i'll just scrub it off. Right? Man... I hate defending my chickening!

 

[michellerene]

"Unprocessed egg"?! What... she thinks they're pasturized or something?!

How sad that we have become so detached from the food that we eat.

 

[eggchel]

The reason why eggs are marketed as Fertilized is just a marketing ploy. They sell for more $$$ to the same people who pay more for brown eggs..... because they think that those eggs are more natural or taste better, etc. when actually, they are the same nutritionally and are raised in the same manner, except for the presence of a rooster for the fertile eggs.
Now you see all the farms touting that their chickens are "cage free" or "free range" and charging big bucks for the eggs. Cage free means exactly that.... no cage. But instead the birds having lots of room to run around, most are all jammed into a large building and never see the light of day. Free Range means that the birds have access to the outdoors.... however that does not mean they are happily grazing on a pasture. More than likely, their outdoor pen is a dirt pen that is just as crowded as inside the building.
While it is marginally better for the hens to be cage free than in cages, it is still no picnic. Of course there are exceptions, and I would look to small local farms for the best treatment of their hens.

The only thing that I would look for on the label is "ORGANIC" because that effects what my family are eating. As for how they are raised, perhaps those that are listed as "pasture raised" actually are!!

There is not an embryo inside a fertile egg unless it has been incubated for a few days, just a few divided cells that are in stasis.

chel

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I can only tell you what one of my egg customers told me.
She was taking either Kemo or radiation, & her Dr. told her not to eat fertile eggs during her treatment time, it would react to the treatments & make her ill.

So, I kept some hens separate from the roosters for her during those times.

Once she was done with her treatments, she went back to the fertile eggs with no problem.

Jean

 

[eggchel]

Ooops, forgot to answer the part about processing

Factory eggs are run thru machines that weigh them and sort them by size. They are also washed, sanitized and refrigerated. Plus they are candled to remove any eggs that have irregularities, blood spots, etc.

chel