Fertilized eggs

[Habibs Hens]

Eggs can have blood or meat spots without being fertilized by a rooster. This is not a sign of a fertilized egg & is not a developing chick.

you may have a point but in all the time i have had hens i have never had blood

now i have a cockeral and fertile eggs i find many eggs with blood

and it usually the ones i leave a bit too long before collection

 

[CharlotteJ]

I'd always been under the impression that if the eggs weren't incubated, nothing would develop, as is described in this thread. However, tonight I cracked an egg and found what looked like a chicken embryo. It was oval, and about a quarter inch. I collect eggs every day, and almost always from the nesting boxes or the floor of their coop. Once or twice I've found one on the ground, but always in a place that I'd see every day. Is is *possible*, even if unlikely, for them to develop without being incubated? Or am I just less observant than I thought?

I just picked it out and made my pancakes. Seemed otherwise fine to me.

Thanks!
Charlotte

 

[donrae]

Nope, it was a meat spot. A bit of tissue or ovary sloughed off during the egg forming process. It's not as rare as one might think. The commercial operations just candle all their eggs so store consumers never see them, so we think it's really rare or a problem. I've had them on and off, usually really new layers or quite mature ladies. I'm with you, just pick it out and move on. Or, if it's a lot and it bothers me, the cats never complain!

 

[CharlotteJ]

Ah, thanks! Yes, they're new layers. I've heard of meat spots, but didn't imagine they'd be that big. I'll warn people I give eggs to, so they don't assume the same thing I did.

-Charlotte

 

[Roxannemc]

I'd always been under the impression that if the eggs weren't incubated, nothing would develop, as is described in this thread. However, tonight I cracked an egg and found what looked like a chicken embryo. It was oval, and about a quarter inch. I collect eggs every day, and almost always from the nesting boxes or the floor of their coop. Once or twice I've found one on the ground, but always in a place that I'd see every day. Is is *possible*, even if unlikely, for them to develop without being incubated? Or am I just less observant than I thought?

I just picked it out and made my pancakes. Seemed otherwise fine to me.

Thanks!
Charlotte

 

[Roxannemc]

They can develop without a hen if the temp gets Over 90 degrees...toward incubation temps.
That far grow seems like 3-7 days old maybe your hen had it hidden sitting on it and then it rolled out on the floor or she pushed it?

 

[cluckclucker]

I have a hen thats about 3 years old and shes still laying. And i had some roosters but are neighbors dog got over and killed 30 of the chickens with all the roosters dead after at least 4 to 3 monhts after that my hens the ones that lived including my 3 year old hen....... but im still getting fertilized eggs and my old hen is well getting on the other hens but shes still laying too. BUT my question is that how am i still geting fertile eggs??????????????????????/

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

im currently eating fertalised eggs and so is my family and they know they are fertile

they taste nore look any different

one thing that is important is to crack them open in a bowl or dish before use

any blood and discard the egg

thats a sign of either development or dead embryo due to bacteria

This is not true. Even hens that are not exposed to a rooster can throw blood spots or meat spots. You rarely see them in supermarket eggs because those eggs are candled prior to sale and those with blood and meat spots are used for other purposes than fresh eating. Blood spots occur on the yolk and are blood vessels that broke as the egg was forming. Meat spots are small hiccups in the egg laying process, and are teeny bits of sloughed-off digestive tract. Meat spots occur in the white. Neither blood nor meat spots are signs of bacterial contamination or a dead embryo. Eggs with blood spots or meat spots are perfectly safe to eat.

You'll know if you crack a fertilized egg that started to develop. It's a lot more than just a blood spot, and it's a definite pattern of development and there are textural changes to the yolk. For those who are curious, here's how to tell if an individual egg is fertilized: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures. It's a very subtle difference.

Here's a good article on fertilized eggs. http://communitychickens.blogspot.com/2012/11/5-myths-about-fertile-eggs-cracked.html#.UOW5hqzNl8E
Note the development in this fertile egg that was incubated for four days, and how it differs from a blood spot. Here's the photo from the article: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5RwLNCFVR...s1600/Eggs+blood+spot+v+developing+embryo.JPG