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The difference between fertilized and unfertilized eggs comes down to whether a rooster has been involved or not. Hens do not need a rooster to lay an egg; they do so (almost daily) on their own simply according to light patterns. However, if a rooster does mate with a hen, the eggs she produces are fertilized and, under the right incubation conditions, can bear chicks. No rooster means zero possibility of the egg ever becoming anything more than that.
Chances are you’ve never eaten a fertilized egg, because nearly all eggs sold commercially are produced by hens that have not mated, says Lauren Cobey, media representative for the American Egg Board. When fertilized eggs are sold for consumption, there is no danger of eating a developing embryo, says Cobey, for a few reasons: All eggs sold in the United States as food must be refrigerated, a process that halts any growth inside the shell. Also, the interior of any egg intended to be sold as food must be inspected—accomplished by shining a bright light through the shell (called candling)—which highlights any irregularities, such as a developing chick. These regulations hold true whether the eggs are intended for a large chain like Safeway or for the farmers’ market. Eggs with irregularities never make it to retail and are destroyed.
Nutritionally, says Cobey, fertilized and unfertilized eggs are the same.
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Whilst on holiday in a Nature Reserve, South Africa, someone left a batch of eggs (a well known brand and from a chain outlet) in the sun for a few hours by mistake. When we returned from our game drive later that afternoon 80% of the eggs hatched. Unfortunately they all sufficated due to the plastic wrapping.
I have a few "Koekoek" hens and roosters, which are of the best laying chickens in...+READ
Whilst on holiday in a Nature Reserve, South Africa, someone left a batch of eggs (a well known brand and from a chain outlet) in the sun for a few hours by mistake. When we returned from our game drive later that afternoon 80% of the eggs hatched. Unfortunately they all sufficated due to the plastic wrapping.
I have a few "Koekoek" hens and roosters, which are of the best laying chickens in South Africa, and the yolk is far more colourfull, darker and lively than unfertilized eggs. It also has a richer smell to it, which takes getting used to. I don't however agree that fertilized and unfertilized eggs have the same nutritional value. I've also never seen blood clinging to the yolk, but that may vary from breed. As a rule of thumb we remove newly laid eggs at the end of each day and place them in the refrigerator.-COLLAPSE
Where can I find fertilized chicken eggs? I live in Florida, USA
Ruth,
I'm sure it has far less to do with abstinence training and a whole lot more to do with city dwelling.
For those city dwellers in the group, a fertilized egg will have a small mass of mucous with a bit of blood clinging to the yolk. Others mileage may vary, this is just what I've seen with our chickens over the years.
There is a gap in the system somewhere, because last night i was making a cake and almost passed out from revulsion when there was something with legs inside my egg (luckily I didn't crack it straight into the batter). These were organic eggs from the supermarket.
I am not a squeamish person, but this was the closest I ever came to vomiting from sheer disgust.
We had over 300 laying hens when I was growing up. I don't see a difference in the taste of a fertilized egg but do see a difference in free range chicken (like ours) and ones that are kept forever in a cage. Big difference there... even in the color of the yolk. My sister in law would not eat our eggs because she saw a hen eat a worm..
Fertilized eggs taste like life and have a spark of the devine.
Fertilized are more nutritious! I work in an organic shop for many years with most of my work mates being raw foodies and they only eat fertilized eggs!
I have chooks (that's what chickens are called in Australia!),
would never be without them as a serious gardener and also as a cook by profession and food lover.
Dhyan Marga
I guess questions like this are the result of abstinence-based sex education. Shouldn't every adult have some kind of clue as to what it takes to fertilize an egg? Or are people's critical thinking skills so diminished that they can't apply concepts they understand to other, related situations?