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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Green Living / Eggs with Blood or “Meat” Spots. Are They Safe to Eat?

Eggs with Blood or “Meat” Spots. Are They Safe to Eat?

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • What Causes Blood Spots in Eggs?+−
    • Size
  • Are They Safe to Eat?+−
    • How to Remove a Blood Spot
  • Bloody Egg Whites
  • Meat Spots Indicate Freshness

blood spot egg cracked in a glass bowl

Blood spots in egg yolks are a phenomenon of nature that most people have never experienced. These “meat spots” as they are sometimes called, are usually encountered only by those of us who keep chickens for eggs in the backyard.

Commercial eggs and even those from the health food store or farmer’s market don’t typically contain blood spots. This is because those who sell eggs for a living typically “candle” them before packaging. The process can be done either manually or by machine. It involves shining a light through the eggshell to check for defects.

Eggs sold as Grade A will almost never contain a meat spot, hence why most consumers are completely unaware that they are, in fact, quite common!

What Causes Blood Spots in Eggs?

Contrary to popular belief, a blood spot in a yolk is not a sign that the egg is fertile.

The meaning is much more mundane than that!

An egg “meat” spot simply indicates that there was a tiny rupture of a blood vessel in the hen’s ovary or oviduct. It’s completely normal and happens fairly frequently, especially in larger chicken breeds.

They are also more common in chickens that lay brown eggs for some odd reason.

It can happen in goose and duck eggs too.

Size

Meat spots can vary in size quite a bit. Some are tiny dots and others are quite large and almost look like a clot as shown in the picture above.

In my experience, older hens tend to lay eggs with meat spots more frequently than younger hens.

The egg yolk in the picture above with a large blood spot came from one of my biggest hens who was 8 years old at the time.

Are They Safe to Eat?

The first time I saw a blood spot in one of my chicken’s eggs, I was very concerned. I thought the chicken was either sick or the egg was contaminated in some way.

The truth is that eggs with blood spots are perfectly safe to eat.

You can even eat a blood spot yolk raw if you had planned to add it to a breakfast smoothie or to liven up a soup. It’s always a good practice to wash eggs in warm, soapy water before cracking though, particularly if you intend to eat them raw.

How to Remove a Blood Spot

If you are uncomfortable eating an egg with a blood spot because you are vegetarian or simply queasy about blood in general, simply take a small spoon and lift the meat spot out of the egg yolk before cooking it.

If you eat kosher, however, you will likely need to toss eggs with any visible blood in them.

Bloody Egg Whites

Sometimes, if a larger blood vessel bursts, the egg white may appear pink or red too. I’ve personally never had this happen in many years of backyard chicken-keeping, but apparently, it does happen on occasion.

Those eggs are safe to eat too.

Note that you should never eat egg whites raw, whether clear or occasionally bloody. This is because egg whites contain antinutrients that can cause digestive distress and block nutrient absorption.

Meat Spots Indicate Freshness

It’s good to know that the occasional blood spot in your eggs is totally normal and a natural part of egg-laying.

Another positive thing to know is that a blood spot is a sign of a very fresh egg. This is because, after a hen lays an egg, if it isn’t cracked and eaten within a few days, the spot tends to diffuse into the white and disappear.

three eggs yolks one with a meat spot

References

(1) Blood Spots in Eggs
(2) Blood in Egg
(3) Are Bloody Eggs Kosher?

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Category: Green Living
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (7)

  1. Michelle

    Jul 6, 2021 at 6:12 pm

    I sure love getting your full of great info emails! I found this as all your amazing enlightenment, great to know. I am unable to have chickens as we live in a housing development with the dreaded HOA’s , but have found a few people that sell them (and unwashed YEAH!!) , next best thing!
    Hope you had a blessed 4th of July, keep the good news coming!

    Reply
  2. BJ

    Jan 6, 2021 at 8:49 am

    You’ve said eggs should not be used raw…..
    I am wondering about the recipes where you can make your own mayo or ranch dressing at home. I like to make it myself so it is healthy, and I have control over the ingredients. Please give your suggestions , Sarah.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Jan 6, 2021 at 8:56 am

      I said that egg WHITES should not be eaten raw due to antinutrient content. Egg YOLKS are fine raw if the eggs are from a quality source. And yes, making your own mayo with good quality RAW eggs yolks is fine 🙂

  3. KarenB

    Jan 5, 2021 at 11:22 pm

    Now if you want to talk unusual eggs, how about the double yoked eggs I have found on occasion!

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Jan 6, 2021 at 8:26 am

      Yes, double yolkers are amazing! https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/the-beauty-of-double-yolk-eggs/

  4. KarenB

    Jan 5, 2021 at 11:20 pm

    I see them fairly often in my store bought brown eggs here in the northeast. I use a “grapefruit spoon” to scoop them of the yolk. These spoons are rather narrow and with a sharply serrated front edge they work well for the task. Its just a matter of aesthetics to me- I know the eggs are still healthy!

    Reply
  5. Tamara

    Dec 30, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    Thanks for this info. I come across this frequently with the fresh eggs I get from my father in law. I have just always picked the spot out and cook as usual with no I’ll effects. Now I know what it is.

    Reply

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