How to Inject Food Coloring into Chicken Eggs

This well established procedure is usually done with fertile eggs. The chicks hatch with colored down. Naturalists use the technique to study the movements of wild fowl after the birds leave their nests. Poultry farmers use it to study groups of chicks. It is how bright pink chicks appear at Easter in the Paris Pet Market. The color only persists in the fluff for a few weeks until feathers grow in. If you try this with fertile chicken eggs make the injections between the 11th and 14th day of incubation.

Things You'll Need

  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Water
  • Saucepan
  • Food dye
  • Hypodermic syringe
  • 20 gauge hypodermic needle
  • Number 3 dental drill
  • Water glass
  • Distilled water
  • Candle
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Instructions

    • 1

      Wipe the egg shell with rubbing alcohol and allow the egg to dry.

    • 2

      Boil water in a saucepan. Loosen the top of the food dye bottle.

    • 3

      Put the dye bottle, dental drill, syringe and hypodermic needle in the water glass. Add 1 1/2 inches of distilled water to the glass.

    • 4

      Put the glass in the boiling saucepan for 20 minutes.

    • 5

      Remove the saucepan from the heat. Remove the glass. Pour the water from the sauce pan.

    • 6

      Remove the dye bottle, dental drill, syringe and hypodermic needle from the glass to the empty saucepan and allow the items to air dry.

    • 7

      Light a candle. Wash your hands thoroughly. Attach the needle to the syringe.

    • 8

      Make a small hole in the egg shell 1 /2 inch from the small end of the egg by gently pushing the sharp end of the dental drill against the shell while you rotate the drill between your thumb and forefinger.

    • 9

      Draw about 0.5 cc of food dye into the syringe. Slowly inject between 0.2 to 0.5 cc of dye into the egg.

    • 10

      Remove the needle from the egg. Seal the hole with melted candle wax.