[Solved!] lots of blood in chicken egg!!!?? (+ eggs with blood spots) (2024)

January 10, 2023November 8, 2022 by Melissa Dawn Salatin

Is It Safe To Eat a Chicken Egg With Blood?

As a chicken keeper, I’ve often found blood in my chicken eggs. Sometimes, there’s a lot of blood where the egg white looks pink or dark red.

If the egg white has a pinkish color to it, don’t eat it. It might mean the egg isn’t safe to eat because of bacteria. The risk is not worth the price of the egg.

However, if the egg white is red (literally looks bloody) then it won’t hurt you if you eat it. But, my suggestion is to throw it out. Let’s face it. A bloody egg isn’t appetizing.

Is It Safe To Eat a Chicken Egg With Blood Spots?

Yes, you can definitely eat an egg if you find blood spots. As the name suggests, blood spots are tiny red spots on the yolk or in the egg white.

The spots are harmless and do not affect the quality of the egg. Whether or not you remove the blood spots, the egg is safe to eat.

If you do choose to remove the blood spot(s), take the tip of a knife and just take the red spots out. You can then safely cook the egg just like any other regular egg.

Another type of harmless spot regularly found in egg whites is called a meat spot or protein spot. These spots appear as brown, red, or white deposits.

Eggs with meat spots are also edible. Just take the meat spots out and enjoy your egg!

Why Was My Chicken Egg Full of Blood?

Usually, blood in chicken eggs is nothing to be concerned about.

The cause of a blood spot is simply a ruptured blood vessel on the yolk’s surface as the egg is forming inside a hen.

Each egg includes blood vessels that, if fertilized and later incubated, will eventually benefit the growing embryo.

But a blood spot in your egg doesn’t mean that the egg has been fertilized. Even non-fertile eggs have tiny blood vessels that secure the yolk firmly in position within the egg.

In chicken eggs, the actual cause of blood spots may vary. Here are a few common reasons:

• Stress: The hen might have been startled while she was forming the egg.
• Handling: The hen might have been handled roughly while the egg is being formed.
• Genetics: Blood in chicken eggs can be genetic and there’s little you can do about it.
• Lighting: Lighting the coop through the winter or exposing the hens to excess light could also cause blood spots.
• Nutrition: Blood spots could be caused by too much or too few vitamins and minerals in the hens’ diet. Make sure you’re feeding your chickens a high-quality layer feed (Amazon).
• Age: Young hens who just started laying eggs, and old hens who are about to retire their egg-laying, tend to lay more eggs with blood spots.

More dangerous, but uncommon, causes of blood spots may include fungus or toxins in the feed or a viral disease (Avian encephalomyelitis).

But in most cases, blood spots and meat spots are completely natural and there is no real way in preventing them from happening 100% of the time.

Blood in Store Bought Chicken Eggs

You’ve probably never seen blood in your store-bought eggs. Why is that?

To reduce the risk that eggs with blood are sold to customers, commercially sold eggs go through a process called candling.

Candling is a technique used to assess the quality of eggs. A bright light is shone through the egg, and the candler looks for telltale signs of defects.

One common defect is the presence of blood spots. Although they are harmless and do not affect the flavor or nutrition of the egg, many consumers consider them to be unappetizing.

Unfortunately, some eggs with blood and meat spots aren’t caught by the candling process. For example, blood spots in brown eggs are more difficult to detect than in white eggs because of their darker-colored shell.

How to Candle Chicken Eggs to Find Blood Spots

People who eat farm-fresh eggs are more likely to find blood spots than people who eat eggs produced commercially. This is because local farms or backyard chicken keepers usually don’t candle the eggs.

But if you’re interested in candling eggs, check out my favorite egg candler (Amazon). It’s really cool and easy to use.