Do you have to refrigerate eggs?

[jrhodes]

My husband and I keep having this conversation. How long can you leave eggs out on the counter? He says if they are fertile eggs they will spoil. Does this make any difference? He also keeps telling me to leave eggs in the nest so we can hatch them out. Doesn't the hen have to be broody before you leave eggs in the nest for them to sit on?

 

[coffeemama]

Yes the hen has to be broody, but sometimes leaving eggs in there will cause a broody on the verge to sit. I would use wooden eggs though.

People leave eggs on the counter all the time. I often get mine cleaned up then leave them out for a few days.

And

 

[eggzettera]

&

They can stay out easily for as long as a week, Europeans generally do not refridgerate eggs. Doesn't matter if they are fertile or not. Most chefs make sure eggs are at room temperature before using/preparing them in recipes, makes for a better product.

As far as being broody I agree totally with the above poster!

 

[PortageGirl]

Being fertile makes no difference. They just have one extra cell after all, don't matter what that cell is!

I leave mine out on the counter for a week or more... just depends on how fast I use them. The rest stay down in a cold room, it's almost like being refrigerated in the winter! (I need to put a thermometer down there to see! LOL )

 

[digitS']

. . . He says if they are fertile eggs they will spoil.

A hen laying in the yard will add an egg a day to the nest over the course of several weeks. Those first eggs will be several weeks old with fluctuating temperatures, etc., before the hen starts to set.

. . . Doesn't the hen have to be broody before you leave eggs in the nest for them to sit on?

It would probably be safer for the eggs to bring them in the house up until that time but as was said earlier, replacing them with artificials will encourage broodiness.

Steve​

 

[Bwaaak!]

I had learned that leaving laid eggs out on the counter is perfectly fine, but do not wash them. Washing them removes the natural protective layer that coats the eggshell and makes them pretty much impervious to bacteria, etc. Once you wash the egg and remove the coating, you should refridgerate them. That is also why a chicken can sit on and hatch eggs which have been laid over the course of two weeks or so. The protective layer keeps the waiting eggs from spoiling. Think Little House on the Prairie.

 

[susan-cox]

Thanks for that info. I have always washed and refrigerated my eggs the day they were hatched. Do you know how long a chicken egg can be refrigerated before spoiling?
[email protected]

 

[jemagsy]

It depends on the refrigerator temperature. You can also freeze the eggs and use various other methods for keeping them from spoiling. ("Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow has a whole chapter on eggs with various methods on preserving, we find it very useful - you may be able to find it at your local library).

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

Here is a link to a study of different ways to store eggs with out a refridgerator.. I dont know how true it is.. But I thought it was interesting at the time so I saved it in my favorites..

http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/eggstoragereport.htm

 

[The Chicken People]

I Love that book! Highly recommend it to all Chicken people!!