Can someone help out a Newbie???

[jwigginton]

Our girls have started laying. We have allowed them to freely roam the yard during the day and found our first egg about a week ago in there house. Then a second the next day also in the house. Me and my kids discovered over the weekend three eggs under our grill, two on the porch behind the deck box, and one under one of our banana tree. We love to allow them to free roam and the kids and I enjoy looking for the eggs each day. It seems each girl that is laying has picked a location she likes to lay and lays at a different time. What we don't know is how long is it ok for an egg to be out and still be ok to eat? I would imagine that has a lot to do with temperature and where the egg was laid (grass, dirt, pine needles, wood, concrete). But we are new to this and just dont know? The kids are anxious to eat the eggs. Are we going to have to close in there quarters?

 

[WriterofWords]

As long as you pick them up each day they should be fine. Mine lay all over the place too and I've never had a problem. I have evening layers, morning layers, and walking across the yard anytime layers!

 

[MandyH]

As long as they aren't sitting in the direct sunlight and are not wet they should be fine for a day.

 

[Schultz]

Totally agree with WriterofWords, ours started out doing the same thing. We ended up keeping them penned up for a few days with golf balls in the boxes and they finally figured out that it's the best place to lay. Our girls free range under supervision due to predators but the afternoon layers go back to the coop when they are ready to lay and will complain if you are not there to let them in

 

[gritsar]

You could lock them up in the coop for a few days to retrain them to the nestboxes. Easter egg hunts get real old after awhile.

 

[Galloloco]

Our hens tend to lay in the morning, so we let them roam free in the afternoons. They have been laying for 4 months now and they always lay in the coop, but if we let them out in the morning, we do not find any eggs in there

 

[jessithy]

A couple of mine used to hide their eggs. I would agree... keep them in the coop for a few days so they get used to laying in the nesting boxes. It worked for me. Except for my Old English they hide 'em all over the place still!

I am still amazed you have a banana tree in your backyard... Lucky!

 

[jemagsy]

Try the float test on them... once you break open one that has gone bad, you don't want to smell that mess again.

Just get a bowl of cool water, my dad uses a tea pitcher, I use a mixing bowl, it really doesn't matter so long as there's a decent amount of water. Drop the questionable eggs in the water and if they sink all the way down they're good. If the egg kind of stands on end or are halfway up then they're still okay to eat, but not very fresh. If an egg floats throw it out. I have never had a problem when using this method (ps the ones that aren't as fresh, but still okay to eat do better as hard boiled than do the really fresh ones).

 

[jwigginton]

So if the egg has been out there for more than a day or two it is ok to eat as long as it sinks in cold water?

Do you think each girl will lay in the same spot each time? We have the following breeds:

Easter Egger, Red Star, Rhode Island Red, White Leghorn, Black Star, & Black Silkie

If chances are better that they will not lay in the same spot each time I believe long term we will need to try and get them to lay in there nest boxes. I like the golf ball idea.

 

[Oopoo]

I read somewhere that since a chicken takes up to 12 days to lay a brood of eggs that the eggs should still be edible because they would still be viable for hatching. I use the water dunk method too--never had a bad egg yet!