Found our missing eggs...are they still good?

[ByHisHands]

Some of our new hens were playing easter egg hunt I guess. We couldn't figure out why they weren't laying until we found
the stashes. 9 eggs in one place and 8 in another. The joys of free-ranging

My question is this...are these eggs still good?
The weather has been very mild with highs up to 50 degrees and the eggs were in total shade. They have not been washed yet,
it has been about 2-3 weeks since they were laid. Should we keep them or throw them out???

 

[Kittymomma]

They're probably ok, but I'd float them to make sure.

Fill a pot with cold water and gently place the eggs into it. Eggs that lay on the bottom are fresh, eggs that tip up but don't float are still ok, but best used in baking or to hard boil, eggs that float are bad and should be tossed. I've got lots of fresh right now so when I found a nest the other day I floated them (no bad ones) and then just scrambled them up shells and all and fed them back to the chooks for a treat.

 

[suzettex5]

I would say if it has been two or three weeks- they need to go. In the trash, that is. You could open a few and if they arent discolored or stinky inside, you could boil or scramble the rest and give them back to your hens, shells and all! The shells are great for the calcium and the egg part is protein, that way there is no waste! With me and my hens, I have a 'when in doubt, throw it out' policy. They will always lay more tomorow! You could also consider placing a couple in the spots you want them to lay in, but you could be risking a egg blowing up and making a stinkin mess, or the hens could become egg eaters, maybe just a golf ball, or fake egg where you want to encourage laying? just my humble opinions.....

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can try the float test. The older an egg is, the more liquid has evaporated so the bigger the air sac is. A fairly fresh egg will normally sink while an older egg will float. Just because it floats does not guarantee it is a bad egg, but view it with more suspicion. Just because it sinks does not absolutely guarantee it is a good egg, but I’d have a whole lot of confidence in it.

Any that float are good candidates for boiling and feeding back to the flock.

I would crack all of them in a separate bowl before putting it in with anything I did not want to risk throwing out, but I do that anyway.

 

[ByHisHands]

Thank you all! I don't know what I would do without my BYC-ers!!!