Are they still good?

[123ChickieLou]

I'm getting more eggs than I can eat in a week. The weather is topsy turvy and I don't know a whole lot about egg keeping. I know that if the egg floats in water, it is bad. That's it. What if the egg just turns up on one end in the water or just lifts on one end? What if it is cold outside and the egg cools significantly before I get it and I don't refridgerate it? Is it still good if I leave it out on the counter? I have some that no one collected for a few days and they got cold and then warmer bc of the night and day temps fluctuating from below 50 to almost 70.
What collection and keeping methods do you all use? How long are the eggs good?

Thanks

 

[jak2002003]

Are you talking about good for eating or good for hatching?

It the egg sinks its very fresh and good to eat. If its floating slightly it mean its either going bad, or a chick has started growing inside and there is an air cell in there - both cases I don't think you would want to eat it.

It will only have a chick in there if it was getting brooded by a hen. I chick will not grow ever if the egg is just on the ground or in the nest box, but no hen brooding it - it will just go bad eventually.

The egg can cool down or heat up and it will still be fine to eat, so long as its only a few day old.

From being laid a chicken egg will stay good to eat for up to 6 weeks easily, and that is a room temp. So as long as you are collecting all the eggs at least once a week you should have no problem.

 

[BettyR]

According to an article I read in Mother Earth News an egg will stay fresh and good to eat in the refrigerator for 6 months. Mine never last that long.

I put mine in cartons and mark them with a date on a piece of masking tape. Always rotating the older ones to the front of the frig. I have an extra frig in the garage that gets the overflow but I also sell some and give some to my kids.

 

[donrae]

I keep my eggs on the counter, sometimes for up to a month. I've had eggs I knew were older but I don't know how old, I use those for hardboiled eggs. When I cover them with cold water, some tip an end up. I cook them and they're just fine.

Try doing a search for that Mother Earth News article on storing eggs, it's one of the best controlled studies I've seen geared toward the backyard flock vs commercial production.

 

[cassie]

Eggs keep a long time. If it looks good, it is good. You might do what my aunt used to. She would break every egg she intended to use into a cup or other small container before she added it to whatever she was making. That way, if something was wrong with the egg she could discard it and she wouldn't have ruined the dish she was making. She even did this with store eggs. She said it was cheap insurance.

 

[123ChickieLou]

Thanks everyone! I should have clarified (but didn't bc this is the recipe forum, i.e. food ) that I meant for consumption. As far as hatching, if one looks like it wants to set, I'll leave her eggs for about a week to see if she wants to brood. After that, I'll collect them.

I have to say that I've noticed a corelation between age and floatyness. Y'all are right- after about a month, they float. Good to know they'll last 6 months in the fridge too. I've heard of freezing them in glass jars, but never tried it.

Thanks again!