Hello All! What a great "team"of people here. Thanks for all the help in the last several months. Here is my question. My chickens were laying in the nesting boxes as long as i kept a hard boiled egg in there. After about a week i thought they "got" it and took the hardboiled egg out. Since then (2 to 4 days ago) i have not had any eggs in the nesting boxes... But i found the nest in my yard's wooded area under some ivy. Super cute and there are 7 eggs in there. Are they still safe to eat? How long outside is too long? Thanks for the help!
How hot is it where you are? Unless temperatures are under 40-50 degrees F., I would not eat the eggs you found. Eggs can spoil very rapidly unless they are refrigerated, especially in hot or humid weather.
it has been pretty hot here. high 70 / low 80 with cool nights. But they made the nest in the shade under ivy and a rhododendron.