[matilda duck]

This could get confusing so I will appologise now!  The reason it's taken till now will also become apparent bear with me!!!!!! :blink:

This morning went and collected the eggs.  One duck egg from Tufty and one chicken egg from Tinsel.   Well done girls now I can make Alistairs Birthday cake (8 today)!  Broke the duck egg and stood agog


Doesn't this mean it's fertilised (THE WHITE BLOB)?? not the light reflection I'm not that daft!!!!!!!
So I stood and thought this is deffo a tufty as Jemmima has never laid.  I am pretty sure that Zorro doesn't go near tufty as Jem's HIS girl???  So am I barking up the wrong tree here???

Then cracked Tinsel's egg


I know it's not as clear but the same spot in the middle to the right of the egg???    Eh??  Have they a deficieny? Am I missing something here??

I have put a picture of Tufty and Snowy  as far as we know Snowy is a girl (still no eggs).  But I don't have a cockerel for the chicken egg???  What am I missing here?

Snowy is the closest to you.



Snowy's tail feathers



Have I lost It this time?

[cathangirl]

Hello Matilda Duck,
Panic ye not!
Eggs have several layers of albumen and the thicker part you have noticed is what holds the egg yolk in the centre of the shell. 
A good description of egg make-up can be found in the Defra pages, if you scroll down for quite a long way.
Enjoy your eggs.
cathangirl

[matilda duck]

DOH!!!!!!   I have spent all day so confused???  Oh well whats another day eh? 
Thanks cathangirl. 

[woodburner]

All eggs have that spot, but it looks different according to whether or not it's fertilised. Put simply it's clearer and rounder if it's fertilised, fuzzier at the edges if not.
I can see the dots (and it's nothing to do with the albumen) but your photos (or maybe my monitor) are not quite clear enough to tell.

[Foxy]

Ahhhhh no thats a germ cell!(blastoderm) Present in every egg. The chalaza - is basically a short coiled rope, sometimes seen as the stringy bit attached to the egg. The role of the chalaza is to hold the yolk in position therefore supporting the germ cell while it develops. The germ cell is fertilised before it is laid and you can actually with a very good eye see that a fertilised egg has already started developing by the warmth of the hens body and some poultry experts can actually see a couple of divisions -I have tried and all I got was a headache!!!

Heres a little piccy:

[Foxy]

Sorry WB -didnt see your post -But we are saying the same thing...

[woodburner]

Hehe, yeah, you had me confused for a minute there.

[matilda duck]

Oh I've never noticed it before and got really eggsited!!   I almost for a few hours thought about seeing what ducklings I may have   I'm going away in a corner for a good cry now