- Feb 3, 2009
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We're very excited but have a question about the rooster and if eating a fertilized egg is okay? Does it taste different?
eggs & fertilized egss
- Thread starter HillHouse
- Start date
We're very excited but have a question about the rooster and if eating a fertilized egg is okay? Does it taste different?
No difference at all, just means you could hatch the eggs if you ever wanted to.
There is no difference at all.
No difference at all, I'd be willing to bet that even from grocery stores, you have occasionally eaten fertilized eggs. Some places produce both fertile and infertile eggs, and if they have too many of the fertile ones, they just mix them with the other ones. There's NOTHING to say that they can't or that they must label them, only that if they DO label them as fertile, they have to have had a roo in with the hens.
As long as the hen doesn't set on them, (and she won't till she has a full clutch) they don't develop.
As long as the hen doesn't set on them, (and she won't till she has a full clutch) they don't develop.
Quote:
They won't set until the hormones shift to make them broody. Then they'll brood, whether they have eggs or not. That's why so many people are always posting asking how to stop a hen brooding. I have a hen right now brooding an empty nest.
With some hens, the sight of a nest full of eggs will trigger broodiness. With others, it won't. Some breeds brood easily, some not at all.
They won't set until the hormones shift to make them broody. Then they'll brood, whether they have eggs or not. That's why so many people are always posting asking how to stop a hen brooding. I have a hen right now brooding an empty nest.
With some hens, the sight of a nest full of eggs will trigger broodiness. With others, it won't. Some breeds brood easily, some not at all.
Quote:
They won't set until the hormones shift to make them broody. Then they'll brood, whether they have eggs or not. That's why so many people are always posting asking how to stop a hen brooding. I have a hen right now brooding an empty nest.
With some hens, the sight of a nest full of eggs will trigger broodiness. With others, it won't. Some breeds brood easily, some not at all.
true, but even if she's broody, she doesn't set without a clutch, she seems to know she needs to wait till theres several so they all hatch out within a few days of each other... no idea how! They just manage somehow!
They won't set until the hormones shift to make them broody. Then they'll brood, whether they have eggs or not. That's why so many people are always posting asking how to stop a hen brooding. I have a hen right now brooding an empty nest.
With some hens, the sight of a nest full of eggs will trigger broodiness. With others, it won't. Some breeds brood easily, some not at all.
Quote:
They won't set until the hormones shift to make them broody. Then they'll brood, whether they have eggs or not. That's why so many people are always posting asking how to stop a hen brooding. I have a hen right now brooding an empty nest.
With some hens, the sight of a nest full of eggs will trigger broodiness. With others, it won't. Some breeds brood easily, some not at all.
true, but even if she's broody, she doesn't set without a clutch, she seems to know she needs to wait till theres several so they all hatch out within a few days of each other... no idea how! They just manage somehow!
You misunderstood me. Mine is setting without a clutch. I've been taking the eggs everyday, and she's still sitting tight on the nest. She has started setting. Without a nest full of eggs. Most days I remove ONE egg from under her. I've seen this behavior repeatedly. Some hens will wait until they have a sizable clutch to set, some won't. It's not something you can count on.
Other hens will lay in the same nest with a broody, too. So if you let a hen have a clutch to hatch, and you don't mark all the eggs, you'll have eggs of different ages in the nest, and won't know which are the new ones so you can remove them. Then you'll get a bunch of chicks that will hatch in about a 24-48 hour period, and then the hen will take the chicks, leave the nest, and the rest of the partially developed eggs will die, unless you take then quickly enough and incubate them yourself, or pass along to another hen. (where the same scenario will repeat)
Anyway, for the OP, yes, fertile eggs are fine to eat. No problem. We eat them all the time. Battery hens that lay commercial eggs, are kept in little cages, no roos, so they don't have fertile eggs. Some commercial eggs are not laid by battery hens, though, there are some with real free-range, some cage free, and some of these have roos with the hens. Then you would get some fertile ones.
They won't set until the hormones shift to make them broody. Then they'll brood, whether they have eggs or not. That's why so many people are always posting asking how to stop a hen brooding. I have a hen right now brooding an empty nest.
With some hens, the sight of a nest full of eggs will trigger broodiness. With others, it won't. Some breeds brood easily, some not at all.
You misunderstood me. Mine is setting without a clutch. I've been taking the eggs everyday, and she's still sitting tight on the nest. She has started setting. Without a nest full of eggs. Most days I remove ONE egg from under her. I've seen this behavior repeatedly. Some hens will wait until they have a sizable clutch to set, some won't. It's not something you can count on.
Other hens will lay in the same nest with a broody, too. So if you let a hen have a clutch to hatch, and you don't mark all the eggs, you'll have eggs of different ages in the nest, and won't know which are the new ones so you can remove them. Then you'll get a bunch of chicks that will hatch in about a 24-48 hour period, and then the hen will take the chicks, leave the nest, and the rest of the partially developed eggs will die, unless you take then quickly enough and incubate them yourself, or pass along to another hen. (where the same scenario will repeat)
Anyway, for the OP, yes, fertile eggs are fine to eat. No problem. We eat them all the time. Battery hens that lay commercial eggs, are kept in little cages, no roos, so they don't have fertile eggs. Some commercial eggs are not laid by battery hens, though, there are some with real free-range, some cage free, and some of these have roos with the hens. Then you would get some fertile ones.
Quote:
Hi, and welcome. You need to start your own thread for this topic. If you need help with that, there are instructions on stickies on the BYC forum homepage. Have fun, and welcome!
Hi, and welcome. You need to start your own thread for this topic. If you need help with that, there are instructions on stickies on the BYC forum homepage. Have fun, and welcome!
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