Cold eggs

[Nats Chickens]

So with all the crazy cold temperatures many of us have gotten, what about the eggs? I'm still getting eggs, and they are very cold but not frozen. Normally I don't refrigerate my eggs but do I have to now because they have already been so cold?

U R so lucky! You have no idea how lucky U R! Here in AU we are all melting, and U R worrying about cold eggs. Wow!

 

[BReeder!]

U R so lucky! You have no idea how lucky U R! Here in AU we are all melting, and U R worrying about cold eggs. Wow!

I'd rather have your weather. I just suffered -50F windchill - that's -45C for for you.

 

[BReeder!]

I don't think you should have an issue bringing cold eggs form outside and placing them on the counter. My eggs also have not frozen in this VERY COLD weather recently except one that was laid form the roost before i added the poop board - it fell ~4 ft and cracked. The crack allowed it to freeze because their was not internal pressure. Egg yolk and white are mostly water and needs to expand in order to change it's state of matter and freeze solid. The shell is tougher than you may think and can retain quite a bit of pressure, keeping the internal contents from actually freezing.

 

[aart]

If it floats it has gas in it because it is rotten.

This is not true.
The floating is because it has lost moisture via evaporation,
which is replaced by air and thus makes the egg float.
Floating just means the egg is older, not that it is 'bad'.... let alone 'rotten'.

Break eggs into a separate dish one at time, instead of into pan or recipe, use your eyes and nose, and some common sense, to tell you whether to eat it or not.

 

[BReeder!]

This is not true.
The floating is because it has lost moisture via evaporation,
which is replaced by air and thus makes the egg float.
Floating just means the egg is older, not that it is 'bad'.... let alone 'rotten'.

Break eggs into a separate dish one at time, instead of into pan or recipe, use your eyes and nose, and some common sense, to tell you whether to eat it or not.

I agree with this in the case of cold eggs. Cold dry air is likely to wick moisture through the egg shell and dry the egg a bit. Air sacs will increase a bit when this happens. I'm not certain that a few hours in the nesting box should cause enough evaporation though to cause the egg to float.
As for old eggs though, I do trust the float test simply because i have made the mistake of cracking a rotten egg once and never intend to do that again.

 

[dalasgalas]

I compulsively refrigerate mine. But then again I compulsively refrigerate everything here in Austin.

 

[MROO]

All 5 of my ladies laid today and I threw them all out, they were frozen. I won't risk getting sick but to each his own!

You can always scramble 'em and feed them back to the girls. Mine love warm scrambled eggs ... with the shell ... in the cold.

 

[MROO]

I've been feeding the suspect frozen eggs back to the chickens. I let them thaw then cook them up. Shells go back to them too. Some do get cold so I have been putting them in the fridge. I like the idea of leaving them out and eat them first. I just wish there was a way to know for sure when they freeze or have hairline cracks.

Once they thaw out, you can candle them. cracks, even hairline ones, will show up as white/lighter lines and spots. Which brings me to another question. I've got a bad case of Hatching Fever, but my hens and pullets lay at different times of the day, and no one is home most of the day to do an egg-check. How long does it take for the cold to kill an embryo?
Edit .. I'm moving this question to Hatching Forum, too ...

 

[MROO]

When I freeze my eggs for long term storage, I do a dozen at a time, beaten slightly. Try not to get too much air in them. Then I pour into 12 hole muffin pan, and freeze. These I use for baking, two "muffin" equals two eggs. Otherwise I pour into a gallon bag and freeze flat. This I use for scrambled eggs, I have a large family that frequently visits.

In the summer when eggs are plentiful, I try to get a couple of bags put away for the short days of December.

This time of year, if you get a cracked egg, I just put it in the fridge, and make sure it is cooked. Cooking kills bacteria, I don't eat them raw.

Mrs K

Great idea! Thanks!

 

[MROO]

U R so lucky! You have no idea how lucky U R! Here in AU we are all melting, and U R worrying about cold eggs. Wow!

I'll trade in a heartbeat. I want my flip-flops back!