?egg good or bad?

[cresent moon poultry]

so I just found out why my egg production has been down so much its bc my chickens are free range and I just found a nest with about 18 eggs under a peace of metal that is propped up on there coop. I tested all the eggs with the water method and none of them floated though some started to tip up but I candled them and they all have what I believe to be the yolk moving around and I broke a few and they all seemed good but should I be safe and throw them away or should I eat them???

 

[Thornflower_gal]

Personally I would throw them out.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I wouldn't use those that tip up for incubating. They are too old.
For eating, they may be OK. If they stink, don't use them.

 

[cresent moon poultry]

they dont stink. I broke a few and none of them stink or look bad. and im not trying to incubate them. i want to eat them

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Go ahead and eat. Just open them into a bowl for inspection before they go into the frying pan.
This time of year, if you are in the northern hemisphere, the worst that could have happened to them is that they froze.

 

[cresent moon poultry]

Im in GA

 

[aart]

At least they were sheltered from the rain?...if they weren't I'd toss them.
Just check each one with your eyes and nose before adding to pan or recipe.
How many birds do you have?
How long since your production seemed to drop?

 

[cresent moon poultry]

I have 5 hens and 3 roos and ive been getting 2 eggs in the nest box a day a day so that would seem that it took 5 days for all the eggs to be lay

 

[DrakeMom]

READ!!!!!! Put them in a cup/bowl of water. If they float they're bad. If they sink they're good.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Floating doesn't necessarily mean they are bad, it means they are old enough that the air cell is quite large. If I have old eggs that float, I boil them and feed them back to the chickens. If they just stand up but don't float, I'll eat them.
Eggs lose about one half of 1% weight per day. So a 50 gram egg will lose 5 grams in 20 days. That moisture loss is replaced by an ever growing air cell. Eventually they will be light enough to float, so they are old, not necessarily bad.
Properly stored eggs can still be good up to 7 months. Eggs found in a hidden nest isn't what I would call properly stored.