NEWBIE HERE! Lots of questions about eggs!!

[Chickensss_25]

Hey yall, so my chickens recently started laying eggs for the FIRST time a while ago, they are around 6 months old. My first hen laid an egg 21 days ago because I currently have 21 eggs (well 20 since my goofy dog cracked one with his paws) and so I wanted to know:

1. How do i know which eggs are fertile and which arent? (Yes i have roosters)

2. I took a picture of an egg while holding the flashlight up to it and there was something at the top, is that a soon to be chick? Or is it nothing and just the yolk? (I will show a picture down below)

3. After an egg is laid, if the hen DOES NOT sit on it, how long before the chick never develops since the hen never tried hatching the egg? And can i eat the egg? After that period of time? So basically, after a hen lays an egg, and if she doesn’t sit on it (if its fertilized) How long before the chick never hatches? And can i eat it after?

4. For how long can eggs sit inside the coop before they go bad? Like if I want to eat them?

5. Can i wash eggs? Ive read some stuff about not washing them but im confused. Can i wash an egg and leave it in the fridge (or at room temperature) and will it stills be good to eat?

6. Can i wash an egg (fertilized or not) and then put it back in the coop?

7. and lastly, please answer my questions in number order haha, because i WILL get confused, so please do something like:
1- no
2- maybe
3- not exactly blah blah blah
4- and so on and so on haha

 

[Kellyjenny]

Hey yall, so my chickens recently started laying eggs for the FIRST time a while ago, they are around 6 months old. My first hen laid an egg 21 days ago because I currently have 21 eggs (well 20 since my goofy dog cracked one with his paws) and so I wanted to know:

1. How do i know which eggs are fertile and which arent? (Yes i have roosters)

2. I took a picture of an egg while holding the flashlight up to it and there was something at the top, is that a soon to be chick? Or is it nothing and just the yolk? (I will show a picture down below)

3. After an egg is laid, if the hen DOES NOT sit on it, how long before the chick never develops since the hen never tried hatching the egg? And can i eat the egg? After that period of time? So basically, after a hen lays an egg, and if she doesn’t sit on it (if its fertilized) How long before the chick never hatches? And can i eat it after?

4. For how long can eggs sit inside the coop before they go bad? Like if I want to eat them?

5. Can i wash eggs? Ive read some stuff about not washing them but im confused. Can i wash an egg and leave it in the fridge (or at room temperature) and will it stills be good to eat?

6. Can i wash an egg (fertilized or not) and then put it back in the coop?

7. and lastly, please answer my questions in number order haha, because i WILL get confused, so please do something like:
1- no
2- maybe
3- not exactly blah blah blah
4- and so on and so on hahaView attachment 2637305View attachment 2637307View attachment 2637308

Okay I'm going to try to answer you the best I can. first me personally can't tell if a egg fertile or not some people maybe can but if you have a rooster usually a lot of the eggs or some would be fertilized. W

 

[Kellyjenny]

Okay I'm going to try to answer you the best I can. first me personally can't tell if a egg fertile or not some people maybe can but if you have a rooster usually a lot of the eggs or some would be fertilized. W

If you're hen's are not sitting on them you should collect them. I wouldn't leave the eggs in the coop. If you want to put eggs in the incubator and hatch chicks don't wash them and do not put them in the refrigerator. And I don't know do you have a broody hen it's a hen that wants to be a mama. If you have one if she's sitting on a pile of eggs I would leave them there.

 

[TOR]

1 white spot on yolk will look like mini bullseye there is pictures in forum someplace use search upper right hand corner.
2. looks like yolk, not sure. No viening not a chick not growing
3 multiple questions
no development because it is not being incubated or sat on by hen which keeps egg warm to start the development of the embryo

yes you can eat the egg

if the hen never sits on the egg the fertilized egg never starts to grow collect your eggs everyday do not just leave them to sit in the coop.

Far as I know you can eat the eggs once brought in from the coop

4 not sure how long a egg can sit in the coop. depend on other conditions. temperature outside would be 1 condition. I pick the eggs up everyday when I lock up the chickens for the night.

5 washing eggs I wash them as I use them sure there is different opinions on this. Go from coop to refrigerator with me and washed later. If they are really dirty I put them in a separate egg container.

6 yes you can wash a egg and put it back in the coop, not sure the purpose. Sure can.

IF you have a broody hen I would leave the eggs or if you take the eggs throw them away.
I would not leave the eggs in the coop for extended period of time, only if hen is broody.
Collect eggs for eating everyday.

 

[Percheron chick]

Hey yall, so my chickens recently started laying eggs for the FIRST time a while ago, they are around 6 months old. My first hen laid an egg 21 days ago because I currently have 21 eggs (well 20 since my goofy dog cracked one with his paws) and so I wanted to know:

1. How do i know which eggs are fertile and which arent? (Yes i have roosters)

2. I took a picture of an egg while holding the flashlight up to it and there was something at the top, is that a soon to be chick? Or is it nothing and just the yolk? (I will show a picture down below)

3. After an egg is laid, if the hen DOES NOT sit on it, how long before the chick never develops since the hen never tried hatching the egg? And can i eat the egg? After that period of time? So basically, after a hen lays an egg, and if she doesn’t sit on it (if its fertilized) How long before the chick never hatches? And can i eat it after?

4. For how long can eggs sit inside the coop before they go bad? Like if I want to eat them?

5. Can i wash eggs? Ive read some stuff about not washing them but im confused. Can i wash an egg and leave it in the fridge (or at room temperature) and will it stills be good to eat?

6. Can i wash an egg (fertilized or not) and then put it back in the coop?

7. and lastly, please answer my questions in number order haha, because i WILL get confused, so please do something like:
1- no
2- maybe
3- not exactly blah blah blah
4- and so on and so on hahaView attachment 2637305View attachment 2637307View attachment 2637308

These are all questions everyone has pondered when first starting out.
1. The only way to determine fertility is to crack the egg into a bowl. You are looking for what is referred to as the bullseye. On the yolk you will have a spot with a ring around it. This will indicate that it is fertilized.
2. Yolk.
3. Fertilized eggs remain viable for weeks when maintained at good condition. I've had a 50% hatch rate on eggs that sat on the kitchen counter for a month. I've also hatched eggs that were in the fridge. I have no problem eating a 2 month old refrigerated egg. It's still younger than most eggs you get at the grocery store.
4. Depends. If it's 100* out, I only want today's eggs. This time of year, I don't care if I miss a few eggs and find them the next day. No problem eating those. If the egg is frozen and cracked, it gets fed on the spot to the chickens or dogs.
5. If you wash, it goes in the fridge. It doesn't stay as fresh as an unwashed egg.
6. No. You can wipe the poop off if you are allowing a hen to build a clutch of eggs but you never wash hatching eggs. When you wash the egg, you remove the protective coating and increase the porosity of the egg shell.

 

[Chickensss_25]

These are all questions everyone has pondered when first starting out.
1. The only way to determine fertility is to crack the egg into a bowl. You are looking for what is referred to as the bullseye. On the yolk you will have a spot with a ring around it. This will indicate that it is fertilized.
2. Yolk.
3. Fertilized eggs remain viable for weeks when maintained at good condition. I've had a 50% hatch rate on eggs that sat on the kitchen counter for a month. I've also hatched eggs that were in the fridge. I have no problem eating a 2 month old refrigerated egg. It's still younger than most eggs you get at the grocery store.
4. Depends. If it's 100* out, I only want today's eggs. This time of year, I don't care if I miss a few eggs and find them the next day. No problem eating those. If the egg is frozen and cracked, it gets fed on the spot to the chickens or dogs.
5. If you wash, it goes in the fridge. It doesn't stay as fresh as an unwashed egg.
6. No. You can wipe the poop off if you are allowing a hen to build a clutch of eggs but you never wash hatching eggs. When you wash the egg, you remove the protective coating and increase the porosity of the egg shell.

Ohhh ok thanks!

 

[Chicken poppy]

Here to awnser as best i can! Part time chicken mom with 6 little babys, 2 more to come.
1. In my experience i only know how to tell if its fertile by cracking it open, if you see a white bullseye it meant it is/was fertile.
2. Thats good, but you cant tell yet. Youd want to wait a few more days under a broody hen/ in a incubator to really tell. (i recommend to day 3) *Yes, flashlights work*
3. it can take quite a while to fully develop. If you want to eat it after its been sit on, your max day would probably be 2 or so, if you dont want yucky veins.
4. im not really sure as i dont eat the eggs we get, i give them away, but i think a week before it goes bad in my opinion.
5. im not to sure but i think so, just wash it well from chicken poop.
6. On this i would not know why youd want to do that, not that its to bad but there wouldnt be a very good point. It will get the dirt off eventually and by washing it you could scramble and shake up the egg a bit, wouldnt recommend doing it but if you feel the need to defi DONT do it after day 17. Id do it on day 1 maybe threw 3.
7. got it, hope this helped! so sorry if im wrong on some things and im not a big professional or anything.

 

[Chickensss_25]

Here to awnser as best i can! Part time chicken mom with 6 little babys, 2 more to come.
1. In my experience i only know how to tell if its fertile by cracking it open, if you see a white bullseye it meant it is/was fertile.
2. Thats good, but you cant tell yet. Youd want to wait a few more days under a broody hen/ in a incubator to really tell. (i recommend to day 3) *Yes, flashlights work*
3. it can take quite a while to fully develop. If you want to eat it after its been sit on, your max day would probably be 2 or so, if you dont want yucky veins.
4. im not really sure as i dont eat the eggs we get, i give them away, but i think a week before it goes bad in my opinion.
5. im not to sure but i think so, just wash it well from chicken poop.
6. On this i would not know why youd want to do that, not that its to bad but there wouldnt be a very good point. It will get the dirt off eventually and by washing it you could scramble and shake up the egg a bit, wouldnt recommend doing it but if you feel the need to defi DONT do it after day 17. Id do it on day 1 maybe threw 3.
7. got it, hope this helped! so sorry if im wrong on some things and im not a big professional or anything.

Thanks for the information! I appreciate your help

 

[Chicken poppy]

Thanks for the information! I appreciate your help

Of course! Feel free to ask me any more questions if you have any id be happy to awnser if i can.