Eggs, to eat or not to eat?

[HollyTree]

Can you tell if an egg is fertilized? If a rooter has a group of hens and they lay eggs, I assume they are fertilized. Can you eat these eggs? Is there a time you can not eat the eggs?

 

[ShaggysGirl]

Yes you can eat the eggs.
The only time you shouldn't eat the eggs as far as I know is when you use medicine like a wormer as that can leach into the eggs.

 

[lisahaschickens]

Of course you can eat fertilized eggs! Many of us here do. If you ahve a rooster, your eggs are pretty much going to be fertile. They also sell fertile eggs at the grocery store. They don't look or taste any differently that unfertilized eggs. There is a telltale tiny white spot on the yolk of a fertilized egg that I've read about... but I don't even notice it on mine. It is no different from eating unfertilized eggs and you don't run into danger of finding a partially-developed chick in them unless you let a hen sit on them for a long time. As long as you gather them every day or two, you're good to go. Bon Appetite!

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

from Indiana.
Just because you have a rooster doesn't neccesarily mean the eggs are fertile, but fertile or not you can eat them. !!!

Some where there is pictures showing how to tell if an egg is fertile.

 

[lisahaschickens]

Oh right... and the only time you shouldn't eat eggs is if they chickens have been on some kind of medication, because it can be passed onto the eggs. There is a waiting period after medicating a hen before you should eat the eggs again... someone can probably advise you on that if need be.

 

[Judy]

here is the thread on how to tell whether they are fertile:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008

There was another thread recently about hatching grocery store eggs. They had not been sold as fertile eggs, but they were some of the more expensive ones, I believe sold as free range. People have hatched a few from cheap WalMart eggs.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

yes you can eat them, they dont taste any different...i think

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Actually there is a telltale white spot whether or not the egg is fertile. If it's fertile, there will be a bullseye, but you have to look close to see it.
ETA: The white spot is called the germinal disk. It took a few seconds for my brain to kick into gear.

 

[damselfish]

Here's something else to remember if you're new to this: the white strings in the egg are not rooster sperm or anything like that.

They are called chalazae(sp?) and they are useful little devices that keep the yolk positioned in the middle while a chick develops.

Grocery store eggs usually have weak chalazae so yours may look more prominent than you're used to.

If you don't like the look, you can pull them out with a fork.

 

[cmom]

Here is a great thread with pictures.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008