Eggs?

[V-NH]

Hello!

My chickens only started laying about a month ago, so I am still new to this. I have about six dozen fertilized eggs that I have gathered over the last 7-10 days. I left them out on the counter, unwashed. I just washed all of them about ten minutes ago and put them into the fridge. Are these eggs still okay to eat? I assume that they are, but I plan to eat one of the boxes myself and give the others away. I just want to make sure my friends aren't going to crack open some of my fresh eggs and find something yucky inside.

Thanks!

 

[Judy]

They should be fine.

 

[redfishingirl]

They should be fine. If you really want them to last longer, you should not wash them. The bloom that the chicken places on them protects them from bacteria. If they are washed, they definitely need to be refrigerated.

 

[V-NH]

I would love to not wash them in the future, but they are fairly dirty. They won't lay in nest boxes, even if I put golf balls in them. They just lay all over the floor of the coop in piles. Then they walk on them and make them all poopy. I've heard you can teach them by putting them into a nest box when they are ready to lay, but I work 10 hours a day M-F so that is easier said then done.