Fertilized eggs...can you tell visually?

[ThePolishPrincess]

Sorry if I didn't specify! Under 'Yes' I posted a link, like Gritsar said, that shows the physical difference between fertile and non-fertile eggs, if you didn't get that. I should have regarded the link in my post.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

Any egg in the store could be fertile. We live down the road from a commercial egg operation owned by one of our friends. He has about 7,000 hens in each house and 1,000 roosters. If you really think that out of that many chicks sexing could be 100%, I have a bridge I would like to sell. In all honesty, some of my friends think you have to have a rooster to get eggs.

 

[speckledhen]

The reason I'm asking is because I made scrambled eggs tonight (from eggs layed today) and I noticed a little round white spot on the yolk of the eggs, about the size of a dot made by a pencil eraser. Now, these could have been there all along before the roo, but now that I'm tuned into the fact that he is present...

That spot is always there, fertile or not. If fertile, there will be a ring around the blastodisc, making it a blastoderm at that point. The white spot on the yolk is always present, even if you have to turn the egg over with a spoon and find it on the underside of the yolk.​

 

[Davaroo]

Heres the question I understand your customers asking:

Q: "If I spend money on your eggs, can you guarantee - in the shell - whether they are fertile?"
A: No. Not as long as my rooster is on the job.

Anyone worried about this will not want to pay for them, conduct an "egg autopsy" at home, and find a fertile germ! They are really asking for assurance, which you cannot give in this instance.

What you CAN tell them is this:

"It is a natural function. It goes with the territory when one obtains farm fresh eggs. It does no harm to you if you eat them that way - just refrigerate them as soon as you get them home. In some parts of the world it is considered a benefit...."

Logic is not working here, so don't get into a long pitch. You have to overcome their prejudices, instead.

You may wish to hard boil some of your eggs and offer a free taste, with a little salt or pepper lightly sprinkled on. Maybe a nice little egg salad bite on crackers might do it.
After all you understand their worry and you want them to be happy, right?

But, you gotta face that some people may remain unswayed by this. Emotions run deep when it comes to animals, for some people.

You may wish to advise these people that it's probably best for them if they refrain from buying locally raised food. They're probably fine with plain old store bought food, anyway... and God knows whats hiding in those tomatoes they've been eyeing!