found a nest

[Kerrie Ann]

I found a nest with about 7 to 8 eggs are they still good? I read that you can have eggs on the counter for a month or something like that what about eggs found on a nest out side?

 

[Pinky]

How many hens do you have?
You could try the float test.

 

[Kerrie Ann]

5 hens- how do you do the float test?

 

[Ridgerunner]

First do the sniff test. If they smell off, toss. Gently!!!!!

The float test does not tell you if they are good or not, but it is a good indication for age. As an egg gets older, it loses moisture through that porous shell. When it it fresh, if you put it in a bowl of water, it will lay on the bottom. If it is a little older, the air sac on the fat end gets bigger and it will stand on end. When it has lost enough moisture, it will float on top.

An older egg does not mean it is a bad egg. Unless bacteria get inside, it won't go bad, even if it is left out for months. But the float test is a good indication of which ones you should be more suspicious of.

Another thing. If the eggs are stored in warm temperatures, even as low as the mid-80's, they can start to develop some if they are fertile. They won't hatch at those temperatures, but they can develop enough for you to see something. Not that those eggs are bad. As long as no bacteria is in there, they are safe to eat. But you won't see me eating a partially developed egg. That's why I always break them in a separate bowl before I use them.

 

[Kerrie Ann]

Thank you very much I just did it and they all sank to the bottom.

 

[reneemellor]

What has your weather been like? If it's been cool they probably haven't started developing. Good luck.

 

[Kerrie Ann]

The weather is between 65 maybe 70 at times and we have just hens no rooster.

 

[Manningjw]

Quote:
No chance of development then!

I have read some people leave their eggs out on the counter for 1-2 weeks before using them, sounds a lot like that is what nature did for you. I am no eggspert so I will leave others to tell you whether or not they are safe to eat. In either case, it wouldn't hurt to crack them into a separate bowl before using just incase.

 

[forestrymom]

I just found a similar nest, but we've been below freezing a few nights (6 eggs, all 6 are pullet eggs, but 4 are really small eggs) in the past week or 2. I'm pretty sure its only 2 pullets laying those eggs. Would I know if they had been frozen?