I was cracking eggs the other day into a bowl to whisk up something yummy and there it was…a blood spot.
If you have been raising chickens for a while, you’ve probably seen it. If you are new to raising chickens, maybe you haven’t seen it…yet. Fact is, blood spots in eggs most likely will happen during the life of a hen.
You crack open an egg and there it is – a blood spot. Your first thought might be “Is it safe to eat?” Rest assured, yes it is safe to eat. The blood spot doesn’t alter the taste and once the egg is cooked, the blood spot usually isn’t even visible. But, if it is bothersome to you or those that will be eating it, you can try removing the spot with the tip of a spoon or knife. No need to discard the egg.
A common misconception is that a blood spot indicates a fertilized egg. Fact is that the blood spot in a chicken egg is just a ruptured blood vessel. Each egg contains blood vessels that hold the yolk inside the egg. Said vessels would be a lifeline to an embryo if it was fertile.
One common reason for a blood spot on an egg is that a blood vessel can break during the laying process, if the hen is startled. While researching, I also found many that say a newly laying hen is more apt to lay an egg with blood spots compared to a hen that has been laying for a while.
Have you ever seen a blood spot on a commercial egg that was purchased from a store? Probably not. The reason is that commercial eggs are candled, meaning a light is shown through the shell to find defects within the egg. Ones with a blood spot most likely won’t make it to the grocery store.
Perfectly Imperfect!
From the rustic look of a home grown tomato to a blood spot in an egg from your backyard flock…real food is perfectly imperfect!
5 Comments
Just found and Love this site, as it makes me feel like home, as I am really so far removed from my birth home. Thank you Communitychickens.com!
At what age do chickens start laying
Sometimes I find little brown flecks in my eggs. Just looks like a little speck sometimes a little larger than a speck. Should I be concerned? Are these eggs ok to eat?
I have a question:
I want to know if you can tell me why chickens break their eggs. My hens (or 1 or 2 of them) often will break eggs in the nesting boxes. The coop and boxes are cleaned frequently with new straw put in so I don’t think that is an issue.
Do you have any recommendations or thoughts on this????
Thank you. J.L.
Yes I have seen several times a blood spot in eggs bought from the grocery store. Different brands too. Just last week I saw one in a Egglands Best carton of eggs when I cracked the egg open.