How do I prevent getting bloody eggs from my chickens?

Question

This is the first year I am raising my own chickens for eggs. I think I am going to have a hard time eating eggs from my chickens anyways. If I crack open an egg and its bloody (or worse) I will never be able to eat eggs again.

My understanding is that the rooster fertilizes the egg in order for them to hatch, but does that happen before it's laid?

Do chickens only lay fertilized eggs?

Do the eggs not develop until the hen lays on them?

Can I get eggs with no rooster?

I am getting different answers from different people. Please help, I can't find a web page on it either. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

The reason for bloody eggs is because they been incubated. If you collect the eggs every day you won't have a problem with bloody eggs. I keep a artificial egg in the nest. Pull every egg, every day and you won't have to worry about the blood.

Answer 2

ok chickens will lay eggs no matter what, the rooster fertilizes them before they are layed and you can eat them either way. you can tell if it's been fertilized by when you crack it open there will be a little black dot in there otherwise the rooster didn't get her. but like i said you can still eat the egg. it wont be bloody either, just every day go gather your eggs and put them in the fridge, they cant develop if they are cold, it kills them. Hope that helps

Answer 3

You only need a rooster if you want to raise chicks.  The hen will lay eggs without a rooster but they will not be fertilized and that happens before an egg develops.  The eggs will start developing into chicks when the hen starts sitting on them and she will not start sitting till she lays several eggs. When the yolk matures, the follicular sac ruptures or splits along a line with few, of any, blood vessels. If any blood vessels cross the stigma, a small drop of blood may be deposited on the yolk as it is released from the follicle.

Answer 4

Take your chickens to an animal veterinarian to have them diagnosed and checked on.  I highly recommend it!  It could be kidney stones!

Answer 5

there butt is broken

Answer 6

like pigeon. . .  said

the reason you are getting bloody eggs is because they have been incubated .

in other words by the time you collect the eggs a broody hen has been sitting on it for over 24 hours

(example blood vessels have started to develop)

hence the blood in the egg.

To answer your questions

chickens will only lay a fertile egg if it has had contact with a rooster.

BUT chickens will lay no matter if there is a rooster or not

That is a common miss - conception . .  people think chickens only lay eggs if there is a rooster.

completely untrue a chicken will lay whether a rooster is present or not.

an egg will only develop  if it is sat on by a broody hen and is fertile.

so to stop getting bloody eggs just collect the eggs everyday.

G'luck =)