Fishy smelling egg.

[Chicken'n'bees]

I'm not sure where to ask a question about eggs. But, I decided to try this section. I cracked an egg and I got a fishy smell from it. I don't know what would cause it, could it be rotten? How long can an egg sit in a nest before it is collected? We usually gather eggs a couple of times a day, but I don't know for sure how long they have been there when we get them later in the afternoon. How long do eggs last in the fridge? I'm now nervous to eat the eggs.

 

[shaggy]

Chicken'n'bees :

I'm not sure where to ask a question about eggs. But, I decided to try this section. I cracked an egg and I got a fishy smell from it. I don't know what would cause it, could it be rotten?

might be something the hen is eating

Chicken'n'bees :

How long can an egg sit in a nest before it is collected?

i have heard a day or 2

Chicken'n'bees :

We usually gather eggs a couple of times a day, but I don't know for sure how long they have been there when we get them later in the afternoon. How long do eggs last in the fridge?

i have heard up to a month

Chicken'n'bees :

I'm now nervous to eat the eggs.

my general rule of thumb is "if it doesn't smell right, it probably won't taste right either​

 

[damselfish]

If you're gathering eggs daily and you're sure you haven't missed any under the nest bedding which then got picked up later, the fishy smell shouldn't be a lack of freshness.

If it was rotten, it would smell truly awful.

Maybe something in their food?

For freshness, try the float test: submerge the egg in water. A fresh egg will stay on the bottom, older eggs will tilt up a bit at one end...more and more as the air cell in the egg grows. A truly bad egg will float.

A good habit is to crack each egg into a little bowl, then dump from that bowl to your recipe. That way you can examine each egg before adding it.

I think real farm eggs do have a slightly stronger smell than store eggs, but I wouldn't call it fishy at all.

Good luck!

 

[red star11]

i wouldn't eat them

 

[Chicken'n'bees]

I definitely didn't eat the smelly one. We only have 5 hens that are laying, so I don't think that we missed this egg from another day. They eat feed and then I give them vegetable and fruit scraps, yogurt about 2 times a week. They free roam the yard in the evenings, so I don't know what they might have eaten then.

I will be checking and smelling every one from now on.

So, do some only gather their eggs once a day? If so, is it ok to eat an egg that was laid in the morning and not collected until the evening?

I love getting your advice, I go here first for answers!

 

[wildorchid053]

heck you can keep your eggs on the counter for a few days and they are still good to eat

 

[shelleyd2008]

Stupid question, but are you sure it's a chicken egg? My duck eggs have a very 'earthy' smell to them.

 

[Chicken'n'bees]

My son just asked if oyster shells could make them smell fishy???

 

[Warfrost]

Chicken'n'bees :

I definitely didn't eat the smelly one. We only have 5 hens that are laying, so I don't think that we missed this egg from another day. They eat feed and then I give them vegetable and fruit scraps, yogurt about 2 times a week. They free roam the yard in the evenings, so I don't know what they might have eaten then.

I will be checking and smelling every one from now on.

So, do some only gather their eggs once a day? If so, is it ok to eat an egg that was laid in the morning and not collected until the evening?

I love getting your advice, I go here first for answers!

Your eggs should be fine if they were layed in the morning and collected at night, as long as they are not overheating in the hot sun.

Do your chickens have access to fish to eat? If they eat too much of a strong-smelling food, like fish or garlic, that odor may seep into your eggs. Personally, I would not eat a fishy smelling egg(but someone may like that- ew), so I think you were right to toss it. You may want to go through your yard and see if there is anything fishy smelling they may be getting into. Good luck!​

 

[Warfrost]

Chicken'n'bees :

My son just asked if oyster shells could make them smell fishy???

I don't think so...it's usually stuff attached or within the oyster shells that make them smell fishy...the shells used in chicken feed are(as far as my information goes) thoroughly cleaned before being put into any food. They have to do this to make sure that no bad bacteria or infectious disease from the sea can be eaten by an animal and make them sick. Also, my chickens all eat food with oyster in it, and they have no foul odor at all=)​