Are the eggs still good??

[ducklingmama]

My 7 ISA Brown hens are approximately 5 months old. I discovered our first two (well, what i thought was our first two) eggs in the coup about a week ago. Daily since then I've only found about 1-2 each morning and will get another 1-2 throughout the day from their nesting boxes. I knew there had to be more somewhere (consider I have 7 ladies), but was never able to find it (all my birds free range). Well, this morning I discovered their hiding spot!! The eggs were sitting between our AC unit and the retaining wall by the basement door - all 28 of them!! So, I'm thinking they have been there for a couple weeks, but not exactly sure. I'm in MI and the temps have mostly been in the 80s-90s these last few weeks. I was wondering if you think that they would still be good?? The only reason why I am really questioning it is because a) I don't know how long they have been sitting there and b) the AC unit throws off a lot of heat! Any thoughts are appreciated!

 

[Legendchicken]

Eggs can last a while at room tempeture but i wouldnt eat them. I have learned if you find a secret hidingspot egg do not eat or even break it the smell is horrible!

 

[Pork Pie]

I'd be inclined to throw them away.

 

[jvls1942]

hard boil them and feed them to your pets.
if your chickens are laying like you say,
you don't need those old eggs.
I personally do not eat eggs over a couple of days old. why should I ? when I have fresh eggs every day..

if your eggs are not cracked, they should not stink yet. they are not that old.

I take eggs out of my incubators that have gone the whole 21 days at 99F and they do not stink.. but a cracked one is a different story..

 

[rebrascora]

I personally would float test them and if they passed the test eat them.... I'm a bit cavalier about food that may be passed it's use by date though.

To test them, place each one in it's shell in a jug of tepid water. If they float to the surface, dispose of them carefully. Floaters can still be edible but they can also be rotten and explode. Those that stay on the bottom even if they sit upright in the bottom of the jug should be fine. Crack each one separately and if it looks ok and smells ok, it is ok. I have eaten eggs that have sat on the kitchen bench for over a month (I don't refrigerate eggs) in summer and 2 months in winter and they have still been edible.
I hate to waste anything!

 

[Folly's place]

Remember that old saying "when I doubt, throw it out" and pitch them all! Food poisoning is no joke, either in yourself or your animals. How much do 28 eggs actually cost? They should be garbage, and start over. You can lock your pullets in their coop and run for a week or so, to get them committed to their nest boxes. Mary

 

[apryl29]

I 2nd Rebrascora's suggestion. I found 5 hidden eggs once and did the float test. They didn't float so we ate them, but it had only been about a week since I'd cleaned the coop and knew that they were all laid in the past week. Also, 28 eggs over the other 3 chickens would be about 9 days worth of eggs. Since some people don't even refrigerate collected eggs I would think they'd be ok, but it's really up to you. Maybe just toss them in your compost pile if you're really concerned.

 

[rebrascora]

I found a nest/mountain of 47 eggs in the loft above the hen house at Christmas time a few years ago, laid by just two of my hens, a mother and daughter tag team! (their colour narrowed it down), so the oldest were at least 24 days old.... all fine and edible. I would not give such eggs to other people because you really don't know for sure until you crack them open but I was happy to check them and feed them to myself and my family.

You don't know how long shop eggs have sat about or what conditions they have been stored in. I would trust my own judgement over a person who I don't know and that has a financial interest not to waste eggs.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would do the float test (That does not tell you if an egg is edible. All it tells you is that the air cell is either big enough to make the egg float, or small enough that the egg sinks. As the egg ages, the air cell enlarges. But many things affect air cell size including age, temperature, humidity, and porosity of the shell) Then, I would cook a few up every day and feed them back to the girls. If it was a hidden nest in cooler temps, I might be tempted to eat them.

 

[ducklingmama]

I found a nest/mountain of 47 eggs in the loft above the hen house at Christmas time a few years ago, laid by just two of my hens, a mother and daughter tag team! (their colour narrowed it down), so the oldest were at least 24 days old.... all fine and edible. I would not give such eggs to other people because you really don't know for sure until you crack them open but I was happy to check them and feed them to myself and my family.

You don't know how long shop eggs have sat about or what conditions they have been stored in. I would trust my own judgement over a person who I don't know and that has a financial interest not to waste eggs.

That's kind of what I was thinking. I just did the float test and they all passed. I cracked one open and it is just fine. I think I'm going to take them one by one and use my sniffer. And I agree about the store bought - I've bought eggs from the store and cracked bad ones within a day or two of purchasing.