egg safety question

[squatfisher]

I've had to keep my hens out of the chicken house for 3 days now and was unable to locate their clutch until this morning. Its been in the upper 80's here in SW VA....very hot. Are these eggs OK to eat?

 

[shangri-lafarms]

Put them in a bowl of water if they sink they are still good, throw away the floaters

 

[squatfisher]

Thanks, they all sank!

 

[greathorse]

I am going to stir the pot a little bit here and see what happens. Eggs in general are "good" for quite a long time whether refrigerated or not. The introduction of bacteria in the eggs is what makes them rot or spoil. I am not at all certain that whether or not the egg floats will tell you if it is rotten, it only tells you how much air is in the air cell.

In this case we already knew the egg was only three days old, I t hink one could assume there was very little air in the cell. I think it would follow that after only three days it would be fine to eat.

I just don't think there is a correlation between eggs that sink and bacteria in the egg. It is only a guide for freshness not a guide for bad egg good egg.

OK fire away.

 

[kb010]

greathorse--I was thinking the same thing. I googled it, and what came up was essentially the same information. Perhaps it also has something to do with the gases released by the bacteria as they feed on the egg. More gases=more buoyancy. I could be totally wrong, but it makes sense to me.

 

[shangri-lafarms]

The only reason I mentioned it was because someone else here told me that was how you check if they are good or bad.

 

[greathorse]

Every thing you read agrees with you by the way. It just doesnt quite make sense to me, but I think you are on the right track.

I guess one could always break them and see if they stink LOL

Thanks

 

[kb010]

haha, true. as a rule I try not to eat things that stink....

haha

 

[FabulousMandy]

Quote:
You are correct! Bacteria are farty little creatures and release plenty of gas as they eat

, so an egg that's been consumed within it's shell by microbial pests would certainly float.

I say the best way to tell if an egg is bad or not is definitely by the smell. If you've ever cracked open a bad egg (or, in my case, given a bath to a long haired dog that rolled in one)... well, lets just say it's a smell you'll never forget. Bleh.

 

[greathorse]

Now I get it. If the darn thing floats dont take a chance on the smell. All the years I spent on a farm I cant say I have ever broken a rotten egg. Just lucky I guess.