Blood Spots In Eggs
The Blood Spot Myth
What a red fleck in the yolk really means, and why it is normal
Download the printable (PDF)
The Myth: A Fertilized Egg
Many cooks believe a red fleck in the yolk means the egg was developing into a chick. Food scientists hear this belief constantly, and it is false.
What A Blood Spot Really Is
It is a tiny drop of blood from a burst vessel in the hen's ovary or oviduct as the yolk forms, before the egg is even complete.
Source: Egg Safety Center
Commercial Hens Never Meet A Rooster
Shop eggs come from hens with no rooster present, so they cannot be fertilized at all. A blood spot has nothing to do with an embryo.
Stress Causes It, Not Danger
Fright, loud noise, low vitamin K and genetics can make a hen's blood vessel rupture while laying. It does not affect the rest of the egg.
Safe To Eat, Cooked Properly
A blood spot does not change the egg's safety or nutrition. Scrape it out with a knife tip if you prefer, then cook the egg as normal.
Source: Egg Safety Center
A red fleck is not a hidden chick, just proof a good egg started somewhere real, on a Multan morning.
References
- University of Florida IFAS Extension ask.ifas.ufl.edu
- Egg Safety Center eggsafety.org
- University of Florida IFAS Extension ask.ifas.ufl.edu
- Kansas State University Extension asi.k-state.edu
- Egg Safety Center eggsafety.org
Eggs worth eating every day
Fresh Yolk delivers a dozen for PKR 370 across Multan, free delivery, payment on delivery.
Order eggs