Writing on Eggs

[chicklover3]

If I write on my eggs with a sharpie, will it affect the growth of the chick inside? Will it mess up the incubator? I don't want to be the reason my chicks don't hatch!

 

[kitten6566]

it will not affect the chick. i always write on my eggs with a sharpie.

 

[cochins1088]

I know lots of people write with sharpie on eggs like kitten6566, but knowing the fumes and how it bleeds though paper. I'm always worried that it will leach into the eggs. I use a normal number 2 pencil for labeling eggs. It works just as well and I fell more confident that it's safe.

 

[Hoosierchickens]

I know lots of people write with sharpie on eggs like kitten6566, but knowing the fumes and how it bleeds though paper. I'm always worried that it will leach into the eggs. I use a normal number 2 pencil for labeling eggs. It works just as well and I fell more confident that it's safe.

Me too. I'm sure a sharpie is just fine but I just feel better using a pencil.

 

[yo burrill]

I use a pencil too if the eggs are in the bator. But the hen tends to rub off the pencil if they are under a broody.

 

[Nsampsel]

Depending on the situation I use either crayon (NOT good under a broody), pencil or colored pencil (better than crayon but still wears off under broodies), or marker/sharpie (does not wear off no matter where you incubate it). I tend to set staggered hatches in 5 different bators, so I use different colors for each batch so I can keep them straight.

 

[SierraView]

Sharpies are non toxic, I've hatched 100s of eggs marked in sharpie. I prefer using them because its easy to see.

 

[yinepu]

there used to be a thread here where someone had pretty much covered an egg with a sharpie.. just to show that they don't hurt the development or the embryo.. once hatched they showed the inside of the egg.. there was no bleed through and the chick was perfect


personally i have used all sorts of things to mark on eggs.. everything from pencil, colored pencil, crayon, sharpie, acrylic paint, pastel pencils, ink and charcoal

all of them proved to be safe

the only thing I wouldn't do would be to cover the entire air cell with something that wouldn't allow the egg to breathe.. so no covering the air cell with acrylic paint

as a note: very porous eggs can be partially covered with melted wax or paint to slow down the moisture loss