What’s that in my fresh egg?

A friend got some fresh eggs from us the other day and expressed concern over those slimy, stringy looking things in there. At first I had no clue but later realized exactly what she meant. This made me stop to think that a lot of people may not realize just how different a fresh egg from the farm really is! This weeks blog will discuss that a bit.

My eggs are not perfect ovals. Some are, but some look like bullets or torpedos. Some have little spots of different colors. They come in a variety of colors. Some have a weak spot on one end and some are so hard they don’t even crack when I drop them. Some have thin shells, some very thick, some have no shell at all (a rubber egg). Some are all wrinkled up. Some have no yolk, double yolks, and now and then a triple. I’ve even had an egg in an egg! They are all a little different and all normal.

When when you crack them open the differences continue. Here is a picture of a fresh farm egg cracked open compared with a grocery store egg.

Fresh egg vs. store egg- photo from Lots ‘A’ Cluckin Farm

The first obvious difference is the yolk color and runny white (albumen). But after that you begin to notice other more subtle differences.

Sometimes there is a meat spot (the result of a small piece of the oviduct sloughing off), a blood spot, (a busted blood vessel) both of which are perfectly normal and not harmful. They can easily removed if you think they are gross. (I remove them) There may also be the blastoderm, or bullseye, if you have a rooster(s). This just simply lets you know the egg is fertile. It does not affect the taste and is NOT a baby chicken. To become a baby it will need incubation under specific conditions and temperatures for 21 days.

And then the squiggly, stringy little part my friend saw. It is the chalazae and is perfectly normal as well. You will see it very prominently in fresh eggs. Big Hint: This is why you won’t clearly see it in your store eggs. They are not fresh! The Chalazae simple holds the yolk in place in the center of the egg.

If you haven’t eaten eggs straight from the farm, I can’t even begin to tell you what you’re missing. Find a local farmer near you and get some. They are so nutritious and absolutely delicious! 😉