What is this in my egg?

[Thechickenchick2]

I cracked an egg a day or two ago to find this inside of my egg.. I know what it looks like to me but I wasn’t sure what it looked like to the more experienced chicken owners?

Thanks!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

chick that started to develop.

 

[Thechickenchick2]

chick that started to develop.

That’s what I had thought as well! We technically have 6 red sex link females... but yet only 5 are laying and we had this egg and others with the fertile bullseye.... we clearly must have a roo but there are NO distinct signs to me that we have a roo.. time to do a little more investigating I suppose. Thank you!

 

[bobbi-j]

If they all look the same, no one has the pointy saddle or hackle feathers and their combs are all alike, you don't have a rooster. If they're of laying age, a rooster would likely be crowing by now, and you'd see mating behavior.

It could be a "meat spot" in your egg (although the ones I get are generally red). Are you collecting your eggs daily? For one to have a developing chick that size, it would have had to be incubated - continually - for at least several days. Do you have any hens that are sitting in the nest box day and night for days on end? Did you take this egg out from under her? That's the only way it would have deveolped that far.

Sometimes there is just a glitch in the manufacturing of the egg. Sometimes tissue from the reproductive tract will break loose and get into the egg. Not pretty, but safe to eat.

 

[Thechickenchick2]

That’s what I had thought as well! We technically have 6 red sex link females... but yet only 5 are laying and we had this egg and others with the fertile bullseye.... we clearly must have a roo but there are NO distinct signs to me that we have a roo.. time to do a little more investigating I suppose. Thank you!

chick that started to develop.

If they all look the same, no one has the pointy saddle or hackle feathers and their combs are all alike, you don't have a rooster. If they're of laying age, a rooster would likely be crowing by now, and you'd see mating behavior.

It could be a "meat spot" in your egg (although the ones I get are generally red). Are you collecting your eggs daily? For one to have a developing chick that size, it would have had to be incubated - continually - for at least several days. Do you have any hens that are sitting in the nest box day and night for days on end? Did you take this egg out from under her? That's the only way it would have deveolped that far.

Sometimes there is just a glitch in the manufacturing of the egg. Sometimes tissue from the reproductive tract will break loose and get into the egg. Not pretty, but safe to eat.

Thank you!! That was my struggle with thinking that could be a chick trying to develop! I collect the eggs daily except when we had gone on a small weekend vacation where the eggs were left for 2 days and I can’t answer whether or not it was sat on for an extended period of time. None of my girls seem to be even a little broody so I do find it hard to believe it was a chick developing but that’s exactly what it looks like to me. We have had eggs with meat spots and it looks nothing like that (as you said they are red and have a different look to it). We had one that developed way earlier than the rest of the girls that I thought was a roo a few months back but there is no crowing and I’ve never witnessed mating behavior either... Thanks again!

 

[bobbi-j]

Thank you!! That was my struggle with thinking that could be a chick trying to develop! I collect the eggs daily except when we had gone on a small weekend vacation where the eggs were left for 2 days and I can’t answer whether or not it was sat on for an extended period of time. None of my girls seem to be even a little broody so I do find it hard to believe it was a chick developing but that’s exactly what it looks like to me. We have had eggs with meat spots and it looks nothing like that (as you said they are red and have a different look to it). We had one that developed way earlier than the rest of the girls that I thought was a roo a few months back but there is no crowing and I’ve never witnessed mating behavior either... Thanks again!

If you can get a good picture of the one that developed earlier - close up from the side and of its back and the comb, we could help you know for sure. But I'm thinking you'd have at least heard one cockadoodledoo by now if were a rooster.

 

[Thechickenchick2]

If you can get a good picture of the one that developed earlier - close up from the side and of its back and the comb, we could help you know for sure. But I'm thinking you'd have at least heard one cockadoodledoo by now if were a rooster.

If I get home before dusk I will absolutely try to take some good pictures and post for some help! Thank you!

 

[lazy gardener]

Definitely a meat spot. They can vary in color. If it were to be an embryo, which it is not, the yolk would have well defined veinous system on it, and that bit of tissue would be attached to the yolk

 

[Thechickenchick2]

Definitely a meat spot. They can vary in color. If it were to be an embryo, which it is not, the yolk would have well defined veinous system on it, and that bit of tissue would be attached to the yolk

THAT answers it for me... there were no veins and it was not attached to the yolk. Thanks!!

 

[bobbi-j]

Definitely a meat spot. They can vary in color. If it were to be an embryo, which it is not, the yolk would have well defined veinous system on it, and that bit of tissue would be attached to the yolk

Thanks, LG - I forgot about the veining in the egg!