Discussion
RE: https://mastodon.social/@fesshole/117194804789756772
I would have thought an unfertilised egg and an egg about to hatch should weigh exactly the same…
Suddenly I need to know whether this is true, or whether the egg absorbs more material (carbon, oxygen etc) from the surrounding air as it develops.
10/10 nerdsnipe, well done.
@Floppy Wikipedia says they are porus,
"Bird eggs have a hard shell made of calcium carbonate with a 5% organic matrix. This resilient external surface prevents desiccation of the contents, limits mechanical damage, and protects against microbes, all while allowing the exchange of gas with the surrounding atmosphere"
I always assumed this was also how fresh eggs sunk but off eggs float...
@Floppy A fertilized egg become lighter once the process start.
An egg is a semi close system, it do absorb oxygen .. But the water content evaporates through tiny pores.
It not possible to create mass.
@seuros so it does absorb gas from outside, but the dominant factor is reducing weight from losing some water. Excellent, thank you! 🐔
@Floppy Correct.
But heavier means nothing. Heavier than what ? Other Eggs ? You can't detect 1-2gr difference with your hand.
Fertile eggs could be heavier because the mother is healthier . More heavy molecules for the growth of the chick.
@Floppy weighing the egg is absolutely part of the process of raising chicks. but i don't remember why.
edit: oh! was it because co2 weighs more than o2? to check for respiration?
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