How to keep a rooster but still have edible eggs?

[Chickybooboo]

that's great news! thank you so much, I really love those birds!

 

[CraterLakeChick]

I to a rooster that I just love, love his crow and his personality. We to are thinking of giving him to a friend. Which would break my heart.
I don't want eggs with any red in them. So if I collect everyday, I will not have any red in my eggs?

I would have thought of casterating (spelling sorry) would that help?

 

[lynnemabry]

One of the differences that home grown eggs is that eggs with "defects" ( blood spots, or random bits of odd looking tissue) are found by the end consumer (you.)

In commercial operations those ends are separated and not sold for the whole eggs market. If it bothers you crack the egg into a bowl first. That is what I used to do, but now I no longer care.

Just like in gardening we get to see the imperfect product as well as the perfect product.

If you had to lay an egg a day, would every one be perfect?

 

[lynnemabry]

Oh, and there is a pretty cool discription of making a capon (castrating) on here somewhere. But it is surgery.

 

[bobbi-j]

I to a rooster that I just love, love his crow and his personality. We to are thinking of giving him to a friend. Which would break my heart.
I don't want eggs with any red in them. So if I collect everyday, I will not have any red in my eggs?

I would have thought of casterating (spelling sorry) would that help?

Having a rooster has nothing to do with having red in your eggs. That comes from a glitch in the production of the egg itself. I have seen eggs from the store that come from chickens with no exposure to a rooster with blood in them. I have also seen that type of egg with a brown spot in it. If you collect the eggs every day, they will not have a chance to start developing. Speaking of that, they will not start developing unless they are incubated at the right temperature. By incubated - I mean either one of your hens decides to go broody and starts setting and you leave eggs under her, or you intentionally put them in an incubator to grow. Enjoy your rooster and enjoy the eggs!

PS - I wouldn't castrate a rooster - it seems to be a pretty traumatic procedure from what I've read.

 

[CluckChick]

Just got 5 pullets and thinking about introducing a rooster. Although folks were saying you couldn't eat fertile eggs. It seems that its more a mental block than it is a concern of eating a chick...? Confused, should we get a rooster or just be fine with our girls?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Just got 5 pullets and thinking about introducing a rooster. Although folks were saying you couldn't eat fertile eggs. It seems that its more a mental block than it is a concern of eating a chick...? Confused, should we get a rooster or just be fine with our girls?

There is absolutely NO reason not to eat fertilized chicken eggs - and, yes, for many it is a mental block issue. Regular egg gathering prevents development of any chick because a fertilized egg does not begin to develop into a chick until it is incubated either by a setting hen or an incubator. If you gather your eggs daily this development never begins.

 

[pkwellman]

We have our first roo... this has been a VERY helpful thread!! Thank you BYC friends

 

[Red Dirt Rose]

unless you plan on having your eggs sit around forever, probably no reason to mark em. your eggs will be fine in a bowl on the counter and will keep for two or three months, even without refrigeration.

I have found that dating makes sure I eat the oldest first and don’t risk accidentally leaving any eggs around too long. I date an old carton with the date I collected the first egg in the carton. It’s an easier way for me to date them.

If you don’t use air conditioning, shelf life of eggs left out of the fridge can be surprisingly short. In summer, if I don’t keep them in the fridge, they’ll only last about 3 weeks.

 

[Red Dirt Rose]

Quote:

So, it takes just a few days for the veins to start forming? And you have to collect and not let them 'sit around' but one of the previous posters said you can leave them on the counter for weeks? Sorry but does this mean you can leave fertilized eggs out on the counter too? what would the difference be if you left them on the counter or left them in the nest box? .wouldn''t it still develop on the counter? or does it need the high temp of the hen or incubator?
just wondering mine will be fertilized and I didn''t know if I can leave them out on the counter or not..
Thanks!

It takes about 60 hours at 99.5-101.5F for a fertilized egg to show a blood ring/veins. At normal room temperatures below 85F, you can let your fertilized eggs sit out for a month or two on the counter no problem.

Collect daily so the warm bum of a chicken doesn't activate the fertilized eggs if a girl decides to sit.

Ahh Cool Thanks!

Makes sense..I have no issue eating fertilized..I certainly can't tell the difference. just wanted to make sure they were the same as far as storage and not developing..Excellent! I actually never knew until reading these boards that you can leave eggs on the counter..

Quick clarification: If you buy any eggs from the grocery store (in America at least), DON’T leave them out on the counter. Eggs have an anti-bacterial coating on the outside, but grocery store eggs are washed and that washing removes this coating. So, grocery store eggs would not be safe to keep at room temperature.