Why are most chicken eggs sold for food not fertilized?

Most chicken eggs sold for food are not fertilized because the primary purpose of commercial egg production is human consumption rather than reproduction.1

In modern poultry farming, hens are typically kept in environments without roosters, meaning there is no opportunity for the eggs to be fertilized. While the biological role of an egg is to reproduce the species, domestic fowl naturally produce eggs regardless of whether a male is present. Because fertilized eggs are specifically set aside for hatching and incubation, the vast majority of eggs collected from commercial facilities are unfertilized and intended for the food market.21