Can You Actually Eat Fertilized Eggs?

It is nearly impossible to tell if an egg sitting on the counter is fertilized or not by eyeballing it. Some chicken farmers may be able to claim this skill, but for the layperson, it's not happening. That's because, aside from a white spot on the yolk on the inside of an egg, there are no other markers of a fertile egg that are visible to the naked eye. The two eggs are also so similar that even the taste of a fertilized egg is identical to an unfertilized egg. You could eat both and never know which was which. It is important to note that the eggs sold commercially in the U.S. are not fertilized. They are raised and maintained on farms that do not have a rooster present. And, yes, a chicken can lay eggs without a rooster present. 

Fresh eggs can still be eaten after being fertilized, even if they have sat for a day or two before cooking. Eggs are also okay to eat if there is a red spot or blood spot in the white or on the yolk. This does not mean that the egg is defective or that a fertilized egg accidentally got into your batch. It means that the chicken had a blood vessel burst while producing the egg. Use a spoon to get the blood spots out, and continue with the recipe. That egg won't taste any different than the others in the carton. Fertilized eggs may have similar blood spots. 

There are a few ways to tell if an egg is fertilized. Crack the eggs in a clean, separate bowl. Look at the egg. The egg is fertilized if it has a white spot that looks like a bullseye. Unfertilized eggs may have a white dot, which is okay to eat. You can also tell if an egg is fertilized by candling. Shine a light into the un-cracked shell. Unfertilized eggs will look empty, while fertilized eggs will show veins or even a chick forming. 

Some cultures eat an egg with a developing chick in it, called balut. It is made from eggs that have been incubated for 17-20 days. The balut eggs contain an underdeveloped chick, which is boiled in the shell, cracked open, and then eaten with chili sauce and other condiments. They are a delicacy in the Philippines, China, and a few other Asian countries. Balut is usually made of duck eggs, but can also be made from chicken eggs. However, if you do not plan to make balut, refrigerate your fertilized eggs when fresh (if you're not planning on hatching them like one Trader Joe's customer).