When a chicken egg is fertilized and starts to grow, something special happens after day 14: a protein called ovalbumin moves from the egg white into the yolk, but this doesn’t happen in unfertilized eggs. It’s like the growing chick is pulling nutrients from the white to help itself grow.

We analyzed one assertion about ovalbumin in egg yolks and found it supports the idea that ovalbumin moves from the egg white into the yolk after day 14 — but only in fertilized eggs. This shift does not appear to happen in unfertilized eggs. The claim suggests that as a chick begins to develop, it may draw this protein from the white to support its growth. We did not find any evidence that contradicts this observation. What we’ve found so far is limited to a single assertion, with no studies or data provided beyond that. There is no information on how ovalbumin was measured, what methods were used, or whether the timing of the movement was confirmed across different conditions. We also don’t know if this movement occurs in all fertilized eggs or only under specific circumstances. Because only one assertion was reviewed — and no studies were included — we cannot say whether this pattern is consistent, common, or universal. The evidence we’ve reviewed leans toward the idea that ovalbumin transfer happens after day 14 in fertilized eggs and not in unfertilized ones, but the basis for this claim is not detailed enough to confirm how reliable or widely applicable it is. In everyday terms: if you’re curious about what happens inside a developing egg, this one claim says the yolk might get a protein boost from the white after two weeks — but only if the egg was fertilized. Right now, we don’t have enough solid data to say how often or why this happens.