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Stone Silo Farm · Apr 9, 2014 12:38 PM

My neighbor has about a dozen hens, who are clearly enjoying the return of spring, the warm weather, and the bugs.

Yesterday morning my husband heard one of them out cackling behind the house and, after a bit of investigation, discovered that she'd made a nest in a pile of leaves there. And it took us so long to notice this that she'd managed to lay seven eggs! The neighbor encouraged us to keep them - not finders keepers, necessarily, but they usually end up with so many that they give them away anyway.

I know some of you have lots of experience with chickens, so maybe you can tell me: are these still safe to eat? How long can a fresh egg sit around outside before it's not good for consumption anymore?

Chivalree · Apr 9, 2014 1:23 PM

I'm not 100% sure on the answer to this, but I have heard that in a lot of places they don't refrigerate eggs at all, and think it odd that we in the US do so.

Gael4ce · Apr 9, 2014 2:00 PM

They do ok for a few weeks usually - so long as you don't wash them. Washing them takes a protective coating off the shells which is why we need to put store bought eggs in the fridge. They wash them to make them look good for people who are scared of bits of straw, and take off the coating in the process.

Consider how long a hen has to sit eggs for them to hatch, if they rotted in days, there would be a problem hatching out chicks. :)

If they are cracked, or smell bad when you open them, toss them, but if they look and smell ok, I'd use them.

Ammit · Apr 9, 2014 2:12 PM

Think of it this way a hen will lay eggs in a nest for up two weeks and THEN she sits on them for several more. In all that time they don't go bad. Gael is right, if it looks and smell alright eat em. If you are worried you can bake with them but those eggs are still weeks fresher then what you get in the store. The only time I toss found eggs is if I don't know how old the nest is and it has been over 80 degrees. If there is seven eggs and she is still going to that nest you can bet that nest is 8 or 9 days old only.

Stone Silo Farm · Apr 9, 2014 2:41 PM

Awesome! Thank you.

It really is such a sheltered American thing to be looking at these (slightly dirty) eggs and trying to decide if they're safe just because they aren't pristine and didn't come in a carton. Don't we pay a premium for organic, free range eggs?

Ammit · Apr 9, 2014 3:23 PM

Remember just brush eggs off. If need be wash them just before using but washing opens the pores of the eggs up to bacteria they won't last as long if you do. If you already have it is not big deal but try and use them with in the week in that case.

Pintlala Farm · Apr 11, 2014 2:52 PM

I don't remember where I heard it but...

If you have a question about eggs being good you can put them in a bowl of cold water. If they are bad they will float to the top. If they stand upright but still on bottom, they are still good but need to be refrigerated and used soon. If they are really fresh, they will lay on their side at bottom of bowl. I have put this through the test many times and it has never let me down. :)

BlueSprings · Apr 14, 2014 3:59 PM

I've heard that fertilized eggs won't float though. Any questionable eggs I just crack them into a bowl separately, and you'll know right away if they are bad or not. Since I've had my own chickens, I've never had an off egg. Worst thing I've had is one that froze, which makes ugly fried eggs. lol

Pintlala Farm · Apr 14, 2014 5:16 PM

Frozen ones are ugly. Fertilized eggs that are no good are kind of whop sided..lol You can usually tell with most of them by holding them. :)

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