Don Hirose and a friend had an friendly argument. Don's friend was sure that when you eat an egg you're eating a baby chick, but Don didn’t think so. They made a bet and came to A Moment of Science to have it settled. Before we tell you who has to pay up, let's examine the two situations we’re dealing with. The first, and less common scenario, is eggs that are bought from small farmers–the ones called free-range eggs. These often are fertilized eggs, and can develop into baby chicks. But usually the development process is halted before this happens. When the egg first forms it's only one cell, and is fertilized as it moves down the oviduct to be laid. During the first 24 hours after fertilization the single egg cell divides a few times, forming a little mass of cells. At this point it's technically an embryo (though it doesn't look like a baby chick), but the cells still have not separated into the ones that make eyes, feet, feathers and so forth.