Eggs

[BowCHICKawowwow2]

How long are eggs good for? I have been just taking the eggs from the nesting boxes and keeping them in the garage (about 50 degrees f) without washing them. Would it be better to wash and refrigerate them? How long are they good either way?

 

[nuthatched]

Weeks. Eggs you get at the store are months old.
Don't wash the egg's, they'll age faster.
I keep my eggs on the counter for about a week and if I haven't used them by then, I put them in the fridge. But that's because I don't have a lot of room on my counter.

 

[BowCHICKawowwow2]

Weeks. Eggs you get at the store are months old.
Don't wash the egg's, they'll age faster.
I keep my eggs on the counter for about a week and if I haven't used them by then, I put them in the fridge. But that's because I don't have a lot of room on my counter.

Thank you. I've been told conflicting information. Someone said if I dont wash them I can keep them at room temp for up to 2 weeks. Others said they will grow bacteria if not washed and refrigerated. I've been just keeping them in the garage and washing before I use them. I haven't gotten sick yet.

 

[MissMonty]

I don't wash them usually. I'll keep them a good month before I worry. At that point I do the float test on them. If any are getting close I get baking or feed some to the dogs.

 

[hysop]

I don’t keep my eggs on the counter because my house is always around 74 degrees F and I’ve had eggs go bad that way.

I don’t wash my eggs, but I do put them straight in the refrigerator.

I’ve actually been eating eggs from August with no issues. The quality goes down and they don’t have that fresh taste, but they pass the look and smell test.

 

[hysop]

Thank you. I've been told conflicting information. Someone said if I dont wash them I can keep them at room temp for up to 2 weeks. Others said they will grow bacteria if not washed and refrigerated. I've been just keeping them in the garage and washing before I use them. I haven't gotten sick yet.

if they’re not dirty you don’t need to wash them before you use them. Now if they have poop or something stuck to em, I would wipe them down the day you use em. Some people usually use the dirty eggs first and leave the clean eggs for long term storage.

I don't wash them usually. I'll keep them a good month before I worry. At that point I do the float test on them. If any are getting close I get baking or feed some to the dogs.

The ones I eat float so I also crack them individually to make sure they’re floating due to age and not because they’re rotten. I’ve only ever had two eggs that floated and were actually rotten, but the rest of the eggs from the same time frame sunk and that’s what made me suspicious that those two were rotten.

But when the ones I eat all floated and were from the same date, that’s how I knew they floated due to age.

 

[MissMonty]

The ones I eat float so I also crack them individually to make sure they’re floating due to age and not because they’re rotten. I’ve only ever had two eggs that floated and were actually rotten, but the rest of the eggs from the same time frame sunk and that’s what made me suspicious that those two were rotten.

But when the ones I eat all floated and were from the same date, that’s how I knew they floated due to age.

Yeah for us it happens so rarely that they get to that point. Between selling and my three boys that I swear eat me out of house and home (plus a husband) we just don't have them get that far often. So whenever they get close (which sometimes happens in the summers when the hens are pumping out eggs like ninjas) then I just have a baking party which the kids love anyways. I make lots of banana breads and such and freeze them. Big batches of fried rice with eggs in them, etc. I also do a partial raw diet for my dogs so they get eggs sometimes as well. When I notice I have a bunch that are starting to float they get a few put outside and I let them have at it. One of my huskies likes to run around with it in his mouth trying not to break it and keep it from the other dogs.

 

[hysop]

Yeah for us it happens so rarely that they get to that point. Between selling and my three boys that I swear eat me out of house and home (plus a husband) we just don't have them get that far often. So whenever they get close (which sometimes happens in the summers when the hens are pumping out eggs like ninjas) then I just have a baking party which the kids love anyways. I make lots of banana breads and such and freeze them. Big batches of fried rice with eggs in them, etc. I also do a partial raw diet for my dogs so they get eggs sometimes as well. When I notice I have a bunch that are starting to float they get a few put outside and I let them have at it. One of my huskies likes to run around with it in his mouth trying not to break it and keep it from the other dogs.

Ohh that’s awesome!
In that case I guess floating is a good way to see which ones need to be used up first.

Before I didn’t know eggs could last that long in the fridge so I would cook them and give them to the chickens or give them raw to my dogs.

But now I keep them. I should have enough to last me until February. That’s around the time my chickens started laying last year from the break of winter. And these are all new layers so I know they’ll be ready to “pump em out like ninjas” as you said

 

[rosemarythyme]

I refrigerate them unwashed, so between the refrigeration and the intact bloom from not washing, they should hold up a few months without issue. You'll see some changes in the egg quality (like the yolks on older eggs will be flatter, the whites may be a little more watery) but they're still safe to eat 3+ months down the line.

 

[aart]

In that case I guess floating is a good way to see which ones need to be used up first.

No, it is not.

Floating an egg will only tell you how old it might be.
They float due to evaporation when older.
It will not tell you if an egg is 'good' or 'bad'.
Plus then you've wetted the egg so it should be thoroughly washed and refrigerated.
When in doubt....
Open eggs one at a time in a separate dish before adding to pan or recipe,
use your eyes, nose, and common sense to decide if egg is OK to eat.

I just keep mine lined up in order of laying....or date full cartons to put in fridge.
Just about thru the 4 dozen I stashed back in Sept.