I raise chickens for eggs. I get a little ugly dark spec in alot of eggs. What is it? Why do they get it?

Question

I raise chickens for eggs. I get a little ugly dark spec in alot of eggs. What is it? Why do they get it?

Answer 1

"If an egg has been fertilized, then the embryo inside has already divided several times but remains a group of unspecialized cells [at the time the egg is laid]. When the egg is incubated at about 37 to 38 °C, the embryonic cells differentiate to form a chick, which will hatch after 21 days. If the egg has not been fertilized, then the oocyte [or egg cell] within will never grow or divide, and the egg will never hatch. The eggs you buy at the supermarket are eggs that have never been fertilized.

Domestic chickens lay one egg every 26 to 28 hours (about one egg a day) for a period of 4 to 6 days. In between periods of egg laying, the hen rests. Wild birds may rest for months before laying more eggs, but domestic hens, specially bred for abundant egg production, may rest for as little as 1 day between egg-laying periods."

Answer 2

It's a little bit of blood......

....at least that what it is in the eggs I get

Answer 3

Could also be an underdeveloped eye of the chicken fetus. Yucky when you get it in an egg...

Answer 4

IT'S ROOSTER TRACKS. SPERM.

Answer 5

Do you have roosters mixed in with your hens?  What you are describing sounds like a blood dot which indicates that the egg has been fertilized.

Answer 6

these are called "blood spots" and are not to worry about..

they are more common if you have a rooster...

regular eggs get them too but they are checked and the ones with the blood spots are sent to restuarants or other places rather than sold in grocery stores...

Answer 7

When it appears in the albumen (egg white) it's a little bit of the chicken's blood.  

Blood in the albumen does not mean the egg has been fertilized.  If you want to know if an egg has been fertilized you can 'candle' it.  Hold a light behind  the egg and look for the shadow caused by the developing embryo.

Often times brown eggs have dark freckles on the outside of the shell, I don't know for sure, but I would guess it's the concentrations of the pigmentation that colors the outside of the egg.  

If you are in the US, your state university probably has an Agriculture Extension Service, they can put you in touch with an agent in your area that specializes in poultry or livestock.  They can answer your question to greater detail.

Answer 8

Unless you intend to let some of your hens raise some baby chicks, get rid of your roster. Problem solved. You don't need the roster to get eggs, but you will still get the occasional blood speck if you keep him. The spot you are seeing doesn't hurt the nutritional value of the eggs any, it's only visually objectionable to you. If you are selling any eggs, you might get a few complaints.

Answer 9

OK, don't think about that nasty dot and just enjoy your fresh eggs. I raised hens for eggs, too, and that always sort of grossed me out. I never had any roosters so that dot wasn't any indication of it being a fertile egg.

Answer 10

If you're talking about specs on the yolk, it's just a little blood.  If you're collecting eggs daily no problem, be they fertile or non fertile.

If you're talking about dark spots on the shells on brown or other colored eggs it's just how the pigment has gotten on the shell.  Brown egg shells have the color applied as they leave the laying shoot.  If you look at the inside of the shell it's white.  Sometimes, in my experience particularly with crosses, the pigment goes on uneven causing the spots.  They will rub off, but the color left under the spot will be lighter than the rest of the egg.  But it doesn't hurt the quality of the egg inside.  I get some really pretty eggs from my crossed hens.

Answer 11

get the rooster out and you wont get it !

Answer 12

The blood spot is usually, but not always, an indication than an egg has been fertilized.  If it's larger, it could actually be the developing embryo.  If the spots bother you, remove the roosters from your flock, which will greatly reduce the number of blood spots you see.  However, if you are selling the eggs, there are some people who actually will pay a premium for fertilized eggs, as they believe they have greater health benefits.