Hypothetical Q

[DENALI]

Say you are a breeder that has worked hard for years to perfect your lines. You want to protect your hard work but you also sell off the excess eggs for eating. Is there any way to make your otherwise fertile eggs unable to produce a chick so that someone cant just buy your excess eggs for a couple bucks a dozen and use them to hatch their own flock from your hard work? Hope that makes sense. Thanks

 

[AussieSharon]

I don't know of any way to make them completely infertile but washing them reduces hatchability. I'd suggest washing them and putting them in the fridge for a few days before selling them.

 

[GracefulBantams]

Yes it makes sense, but the only way to have unfertilized eggs is to not have a rooster, but then you wouldn't have much of a breeding program

It would be best to sell the eggs as hatching eggs, sell them to family members/friends that you knew only wanted them for breakfast (

), eat/hatch them yourself, or feed them back to the birds.

 

[MissPrissy]

Refrigerate them for 1.5 to 2 weeks before selling them. They are still perfectly fresh and good for eating. The probability of hatching at that late date and being held in the cold should be fairly small.

 

[DENALI]

What about shaking each egg?

 

[AussieSharon]

Quote:
Shaking the eggs may cause the yolk to rupture inside the egg. You might have unhappy customers if every egg they crack is already scrambled inside.

 

[DENALI]

Quote:
Shaking the eggs may cause the yolk to rupture inside the egg. You might have unhappy customers if every egg they crack is already scrambled inside.

LOL true...... trick would be to shake it just hard enough but not break the yolk..... or could start a niche market for scrambled inthe shell eggs

 

[Katy]

I think your customers would be unhappy with pre-scrambled eggs!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I have heard(not personally tested) that if you refridgerate the eggs on a low enough setting(the colder the better) it renders them unhatchable. I cannot recall the actual temperature though.

-Kim

 

[silkiechicken]

Chilling them for and extended amount of time will reduce rates, and the cooler the longer the less likely to hatch.