How long do fly eggs take to hatch and how do you tell how long they have been there?

Question

I just bought some chicken last night...it was not left sitting out. This morning I grabed a piece and noticed some egg like things....looked it up and its fly eggs.....I want to know if it was this way before I bought it....

Answer 1

Fly eggs and larva are called maggots. At the height of the summer season, a generation of flies (egg to adult) may be produced in 12-14 days.

Maggot identification uses a classification called "instar" stages. An instar I is about 2-5 mm long; instar II 6-14 mm; instar III 15-20 mm. These measure about 2-3 days, 3-4 days, and 4-6 days (for average house flies or bottle flies) since the eggs were laid.

The fly eggs in your chicken was in there before you bought it as long as you are are sure no any fly had flown to it after you took it home.

Answer 2

If like me you watch crime shows....they say that blow fly eggs take about 24 hours to hatch in a wound....so im thinking its also probably the same for a normal fly......its highly likely that the eggs were on the chicken before you bought it, bain maries (the chicken warmers in shops) arent very good at keeping flies out.

Answer 3

They take a few days to hatch.