3

I brought four-five eggs day before yesterday and today when I cracked one I saw blood in it, rest others were fine.

It doesn't look like a drop of blood fall upon it, it looks like I can't separate it like someone pierced yellow part and blood burst out of it.

Question: What is it, chicken and I killed it? Is it safe to eat it, scrambled egg?

enter image description here

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
6

I regularly see these (although, not usually as big), and they are considered safe to cook and eat as usual.

The American Egg Board (which is, just to be clear, a US government-backed lobby and marketing group, not a scientific body), states that

  • blood spots are caused by ruptured blood vessels (which can happen for different reasons) of the hen (mother) at the time of ovulation (before the hard outer shell of the egg has formed)
  • they are not an indicator of fertilised eggs
  • they are safe to eat.

We don't see them (or don't see very large ones) regularly because they are normally detected by candling, and such eggs are removed (this is why blood spots are more common in eggs from local farms that might not be using such mass-production techniques).

Many other sites say things along the same lines, including the USDA. However, notice the other USDA comments on egg freshness and safety. Definitely make sure the eggs are cooked thoroughly (as always!), especially if they're from local farms and may have not gone through pasteurisation or other post-collection disinfection methods.

@BaffledCook might be right on the freshness comment (independent of the blood spot), although the photo you took is very bright and makes it a bit hard for me to tell how clear the egg white is or whether the yolk just broke when you cracked the egg.

The "err on the safe side" is usually a good rule to follow if you're concerned (it's just an egg!).

Improve this answer
5
  • Was there once life which got killed?
    – paul
    Mar 8, 2018 at 15:50
  • 1
    @paul, if you're asking whether the egg was fertilised, the AEB link I provided states that blood spots "do not indicate a fertilized egg" (nor do they indicate it was not fertilised; i.e., blood spots are irrelevant to this).
    – Ratler
    Mar 8, 2018 at 16:40
  • 1
    But the fact that egg-layers are raised absent the presence of any males is a pretty strong indication that it's not fertilized. If this egg came from a small farm it might be different, but if this purchased in a grocery store it's certainly not fertilized (barring a literal miracle).
    – Joshua Engel
    Mar 8, 2018 at 17:48
  • The thing that I am not getting is "What is the source of blood?" White portion can't have blood, yolk also can't have blood. Blood is liquid which requires a wrapper/some-container, like skin which prevents it from flowing out. If we pierce skin blood would come out.
    – paul
    Mar 9, 2018 at 17:45
  • @paul, the blood comes from ruptured blood vessels (which can happen for different reasons) of the hen (mother) at the time of ovulation (before the hard outer shell of the egg has formed). See articles.extension.org/pages/65372/… (particularly images) to get a better idea.
    – Ratler
    Mar 10, 2018 at 17:24
1

I'd say it is not a fresh egg because there's very little yolk there.

In this case, it's would be better to err on the safe side and ditch the egg.

About killing the fetus: you didn't kill it as you didn't take it out of the incubator/from under the chicken. It was already dead when you bought it.

Improve this answer
1
  • It seems like the egg is in a cylindrical container, not spread out on a plate, so it would be hard to judge the amount of yolk, wouldn't it, since we can't see any other angles. In my experience, fresh yolks stand up higher so would seem smaller from above.
    – Aster
    Mar 8, 2018 at 23:56

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.