Eggs in Fridge or Counter Top

If they are for eating i put them in the fridge without washing them, if they are full of poo we just throw them away. If they are for incubation i keep them in my crawl space pointy end down in an egg carton.

 

Once I wash them, I refrigerate them within a day unless I have them sold, at which time I will take them to work. When I was young, we left our eggs out all the time. I can remember buying them off a display at the store where they weren't in a cooler either! I don't know what the time frame is, but if they are kept cool, I will hang on to them for a couple of days before I even wash them. HTH Janet

 

This winter I've been keeping them on the counter,(58 degree house.)
Last summer I collected the day's eggs on the counter and in the evening I wrote the date on them and stuck them in the fridge.
When I was getting enough for multiple cartons I started putting plastic bags around the carton to keep in moisture.

 

Our hens tend to sleep in their nest box, so the eggs get a bit "poopy". I wash them and stick them in the fridge. We only have three hens, so we always eat their eggs within a couple days of laying.

 

If you want to keep your eggs for a long period of time, whether on the counter or in the fridge, the pores of the egg should be sealed. If you use a wax-based product they'll keep for up to a year. If you use food grade mineral oil, they'll keep for up to 6-8 months. Unwashed eggs will probably keep about as well as oiled eggs.

 

I think that we could use the habits of the wild chicken as a "standard" for unrefrigerated eggs. We can assume that the eggs are relatively clean but they are certainly being "stored" in the nest at an unrefrigerated temperature. For the survival of the species, they must not decay.

According to a book on birds of India, for the Red Junglefowl: "The usual clutch consists of three to five eggs, but as many as eight may be found." Like the domestic chicken, the Junglefowl is laying about an egg a day until the clutch is complete.

I would personally use that as a guide for keeping eggs on the counter – about 1 week. But, one of the advantages of having backyard chickens is being able to eat fresh eggs. However, I wash and refrigerate them.

Steve

 

if your gonna eat them.. IN THE FRIDGE.. at least here in the desert.
my friend used to put them on the counter and think nothing of it,, but in the summer, in the desert they will start to develope... then she would give the eggs away and people (including me) would find tiny baby birds as they cracked open the eggs,,, it grossed me out VERY VERY badly,,,
so now, i wont sell mine, eat, or give them away, if they have not been in the fridge!!!!

 

I always wash mine in very warm water and if they are a little "poopy" i used a nail brush to gently scrape it off. Dry then well and place in fridge! They will last up to 3 weeks. I usually wind up supplying several friends once a week with an 18 pack of eggs. 3 roosters and 16 hens. If they weather is 65 over over we usually get 10-14 eggs a day!

 

I leave mine on the counter half the time b/c I like boiled eggs, and I need them to age so I can peel them.

I wash mine in hot water if they're dirty.