what do you write on your eggs with

The three eggs that were given to me were written on with marker. i try to use pen because I thought that the marker wouldn't be good. I can't stand the smell of them . What do you all use to mark your eggs?
Thanks Geri

Pencil.

I read somewhere that any form of ink is absorbed to some extent into the shell.

ChicoryFarm wrote:Pencil.

I read somewhere that any form of ink is absorbed to some extent into the shell.

Yep, I had a very old time poultry man tell me never to use anything but pencil and that is what I have done for the last 15 years!

Yup, pencil. Pure benign carbon, nothing nasty or toxic.

Well maybe thats my problem but my freind that used the marker hatches lots of eggs . Can you use colored pencils that way yiou could use a diffent color for different hens.
Geri

If you mean different colours to distinguish different breeds of eggs, just write the first letter of the breed on top with the numbered day. So if it's an Orpington, you'd write the letter 'O' and then '29' for today's day.

Is that what you mean?

I did a test with one half of the barnvelder eggs that I hatched out recently. I use a permanent black sharpie. Put a B on the eggs that I wanted to mark, using this permanent ink black sharpie pen. Absolutely made no difference, whatsoever. Exactly all the eggs that had the permanent ink marker on them hatched out and are healthy. Exactly all the eggs that did not have permanent ink marker, but had pencil hatched out and are healthy. I have always used a permanent sharpie pen and have found that absolutely this does not affect health nor ability for the chicks to come to full hatch. I have been doing this for years and have never had an issue. Not to say that perhaps if I had only used pencil, the hatches may have been better. But seriously. I doubt it. Sorry. That is me and I hate to go against what others may chime in as. But I have first hand knowledge during my last hatch with the test trial of permanent black sharpie and penciled eggs, of the same breed made absolutely no difference in hatch nor health of chicks. I will always mark with the permanent marker as I know exactly what I am seeing and it is clearly visible. Have wonderful days, CynthiaM.

Sharpie! Makes no difference in hatching and does not wear off.

I actually use a carpenters pencil, so when I make a mistake I can do some fixing and it dosen't looks quite so bad lol

I use pencil. Occasionally I end up bringing unused eggs in for eating especially when the well house is around the same temperature as the fridge. Pencil washes off when the eggs are cleaned. I set these eggs apart for personal use.

I used to use pencil, but now use a permanent black marker pen and works great. Easy to mark and read, no difference in hatching.

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The question was "what do you use?" not "are you convinced other methods are bad?" I'm quite sure than pencil is benign; I don't know about other methods. Maybe they're harmless, maybe not. Good to gather info, and we can all make our own decisions.

One good thing about pencil is that, if nobody goes broody within a couple of days, you can wipe/rub the pencilled date off and add the egg back into your "for sale" pool . I keep 6-12 eggs every day at this time of year for possible hatchers; every day I add new ones and turn the older ones (only a couple of days old, I assure you) back into the "sell" pool.

ipf wrote:One good thing about pencil is that, if nobody goes broody within a couple of days, you can wipe/rub the pencilled date off and add the egg back into your "for sale" pool . I keep 6-12 eggs every day at this time of year for possible hatchers; every day I add new ones and turn the older ones (only a couple of days old, I assure you) back into the "sell" pool.

Excellent POINT ipf......pardon the pun. That is the advantage. That's an additional 10 points for pencil users. Ink users......4, pencil users.......15.

I also use sharpie. I started with it because it's the only thing I had on hand, and just find it easier to read.

I'm a sharpie girl too. Same thing didn't have anything else at the time. I can have a brain like a sive on certain days so its best if I jot down quickly what I want before it literally goes to the birds [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Pencil for me. I like to keep my erase options wide open.

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He was a landfowl man. I think you are right with the waterfowl, but of course I have no experience with them because I am not ALLOWED to have them......hrmph.....

I haven't had trouble under broodies or punching holes in the eggs. The thought hadn't crossed my mind, but watch, now it will happen because I am thinking about it. I have to say often the egg pencil isn't all that sharp. I just keep using it until it is to the wood and then I have to sharpen it again.

Those crayon things your Gran was talking about I used a lot when I treated horses. I could mark them with it and then the owners could just wash them off. They would work I think, but they were usually pretty thick, the ones I used anyways.

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I always use pencil. Breed on the top and when I put egg in the incubator I add the expected hatching day. I hand turn most eggs so have x's and o's on the sides as well.

Now when moving birds and wanting them to lay in new nests etc I use permanent marker on the eggs I use so that the old eggs don't get picked up accidentally. Only the new unmarked eggs get collected leaving a nest with marked eggs so girls continue to lay in the new nest.

*Ahem* I have just noticed the title of this topic ends in a preposition! GASP!

Please could we change the title to: "With what do you write on your eggs?" Now, doesn't that sound better?

no