Safest thing to write on eggs with?

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
I've never seen any traces of the marker on the inside of the egg. I use the thinnest pointed marker possible.

I've done this and I made a point to check the inside of the shell when it hatched to make sure it hadn't seeped through. It hadn't.

Recently I used one of the kids' Crayola crayons to draw a stripe all the way around the egg, so I can see at a glance if it was marked. I haven't seen her off the nest, so I don't know if it rubbed off.

 

[Laskaland]

What's wrong with pencils? Should I be using something else?

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
Nothing's wrong with them - they work, they're just hard to see the marks. I mark my eggs that my broody is sitting on so I can remove any fresh ones that the other hens lay in there and the bolder the marks, the easier it is for me to see in the dim light of the nesting area.

 

[Bock_Bock]

i used permanent marker on my eggs, i had a good hatch, just if you are going to use perm marker dont make really big shapes or letters or numbers with it just mark it enough to read as the marker will not wipe off so it does not need as much on it as crayons or pencils do

 

[TexasVet]

I use a permanent marker too. I draw a line all the way around any eggs a hen is setting on so I can tell if anyone ran her off the nest and added to the clutch. If they're in the bator, I put a 1 on one side and a 2 on the other.

I think the key is to draw quickly, so the ink doesn't seek into the shell too deeply. So far, I haven't found a single egg where the ink bled through.

I tried pencil in the beginning, but it's hard to see on dark eggs, and wears off quickly.

Kathy in Texas

 

[NapsWithChickens]

I've been using pencil, but will look into the edible marker. That sounds interesting...

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
THIS is a safe, and great idea! I've never even thought about those! Thanks for the tip!

 

[KattyKillFish]

are non-toxic Crayolas a tad safer? i was just about to post something w/ the EXACT same question XD awesome!