Finding an egg later in the afternoon? Still ok to eat?

[chicamama]

Well, what do you know. My little free range mamas stayed locked up this am and I come home to find 2 eggs in their run. I'm thinking they are laying later in the morning (after I let them out).

Hmmmm....that said, how long is an egg good if it sits in a run for the day?

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

depends.... did it spend the day in 101 degree heat and direct sunlight?

If not, then your probably ok to eat it. I put mine in the fridge after getting home from being at work all day, and they've always been ok.

 

[hensdeliverthegoods]

Most hens will lay an egg approximately every 25 hours. So naturally the time of day that they lay will change, although mine only lay in daylight hours. You may want to adjust the time of day you let them out to free range if you want to catch the eggs.

 

[chicamama]

Quote:
Not sure about direct sun.
80 degrees?

 

[crooked stripe]

Should be fine. Not everyone in the past had refrigerators and they ate the eggs. Train those chickens to lay in the nest box and you won't have any trouble. Even if layed in the run they probably aren't in the sun all day. John

 

[chicamama]

Quote:
Any tips on training them to lay in theor box?

 

[Wolf-Kim]

To train them to lay in the nestboxes, lock them up for about a week and put a golfball or fake egg in the nests. One per nest should do fine. If I let my hens out to free-range they will typically lay later in the day, and if they cannot get back into the coop to lay, they lay somewhere else. Some people put a nestbox outside their coop, if the coop does not stay open all day. That way the hens always have access to a nest.

The eggs you find later in the day should be fine to eat, just get them inside.

-Kim

 

[Davaroo]

In a word, yes.

It was common practice in the old days to eat the infertile eggs ("clears") from the incubator.

A few hours outside oughta do it no harm.

 

[ruby]

My hens only free range in the afternoon, but I have a couple of girls that lay in the late afternoon. My oldest kid says it's because I'm always late! lol..... she's right I'm never on time, either early or late.... but living in Alabama it's hot all the time. I never had a problem. Only now my girls are playing hide and seek. They have been laying all over the coop, the only ones I throw away are the ones that look like they have been buried in the hay for a couple of days.