Eating Eggs

[Coop’s Coop]

When is it NOT safe or ok to eat a chickens eggs? Also, how long after lay do you have to pull and refrigerate?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If it's exposed to high temperatures, if it's cracked, submerged in water, full of feces, under cooked, or left laying around too long to name a few. When in doubt throw it out.

 

[Sunny-Side Up]

I'd say definitely collect eggs at least once a day, preferably twice. If you don't, your chickens could accidentally break one, get a taste, discover it's good, and start eating their eggs on purpose. Also what oldhenlikesdogs said.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really, eggs are pretty safe if the shell is intact. In Europe, they do not keep eggs in the fridge, that is an American custom. They just keep them in a bowl on the counter.

When I was a girl, one always opened store bought eggs into a cup, before adding them to whatever you are cooking. If you are nervous, you could do that. In cool spring temperatures, I would not worry about any eggs. In the heat of summer, if a nest was found that were a couple of days old, I would pitch.

No need to collect twice a day, except in winter when they freeze and split. Ugh!
Mrs K

 

[Coop’s Coop]

What if a bird is sick? I know sometimes birds get sick but don’t show symptoms.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What if a bird is sick? I know sometimes birds get sick but don’t show symptoms.

A truly sick bird usually stops laying before you even notice symptoms. If you are concerned don't eat the eggs. Eggs are cheap, hospital bills aren't.

 

[triplepurpose]

Eggs don’t NEED to be refrigerated unless they are washed or otherwise compromised, and eggs don’t need to be washed if they are reasonably clean already (which should always be the goal anyway). Just don’t lick the shells. Fresh eggs can be kept on the counter for at least a couple weeks. (consider that keeping laying chickens long predates the invention of the refrigerator, and part of the advantage of eggs as a food is that they keep longer than meat or milk!) If you need to keep them longer for some odd reason you can put them in the fridge.

Also, If you learn to candle with a bright flashlight you can inspect eggs to some degree without even having to open them, which can be handy.

 

[Beer can]

Really, eggs are pretty safe if the shell is intact. In Europe, they do not keep eggs in the fridge, that is an American custom. They just keep them in a bowl on the counter.

When I was a girl, one always opened store bought eggs into a cup, before adding them to whatever you are cooking. If you are nervous, you could do that. In cool spring temperatures, I would not worry about any eggs. In the heat of summer, if a nest was found that were a couple of days old, I would pitch.

No need to collect twice a day, except in winter when they freeze and split. Ugh!
Mrs K

No, not a 'American custom', just the norm for the masses. Like saying Americans only have Velveeta cheese, ignoring the fact we have better cheese than Europe, or saying we only drink Coors light beer, ignoring the fact we have better micro breweries than Europe will ever have.
Yes yes yes! Always crack the eggs in a separate container. Nothing worse than cracking one into your favorite cake recipe and seeing there might have been a broody setting on it for awhile....
And those frozen cracked eggs..
We eat them all, the frozen ones are weird, yolk stays round even after thawing.

 

[User395221]

No, not a 'American custom', just the norm for the masses.

There is a difference in the handling of eggs by commercial producers, according to this
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/...ggs and salmonella were officially newsworthy.
Obviously, home chicken keepers can make up their own minds as to what they do.

My conclusion after reading (and reading and reading) is that:

1. you can tell if an egg is bad by smell/change in texture. I always crack separately and look at it/smell it.
2. you aren't at risk of salmonella poisoning (here in Australia, at least) if you cook eggs thoroughly and don't eat them raw. (we don't have that one that comes from the chooks' ovaries straight into the egg, so I'm only concerned with external contamination)

Personally, I don't put my chooks' eggs in the fridge. They've got their bloom and I know how long they've been there. I used to put ones from the shops in the fridge when I had to buy them.

It's a decision as to how much of a risk you think you are taking from your choices as to storage and use. I haven't ever been sick after eating eggs in my whole life. I'd probably be more cautious if I were feeding a little kid or an elderly person with health issues where any "bug" could lay them really low, but even then, if you cook them thoroughly, there shouldn't be any drama.

 

[ChickNanny13]

You can always boil or cook up eggs you think are bad, feed them to the dogs or back to the chickens, they'll LOVE it.