Just curious, I almost always collect the eggs daily, but things have been extremely hectic the last few days and I missed a day or 2. The temps have been dropping into the 20's and I'm pretty sure I ended up with some frozen eggs. I haven't tested any of them yet, but wondering if anyone else runs into this issue in the colder months and if they should be fine or not. I don't want to give my neighbors eggs that are strange. Once they make it to the carton, I'll have no way of knowing which is which. Regards, Mark
Here is a link to a safe egg handling article: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/food/food_safety/handling/hgic3507.html This is a quote from that article: Freeze Eggs for Longer Storage: Eggs should not be frozen in their shells. To freeze whole eggs, beat yolks and whites together. Egg whites and yolks can also be frozen by themselves. Use frozen eggs within a year. If eggs freeze accidentally in their shells, keep them frozen until needed. Defrost them in refrigerator. Discard any with cracked shells. Do you know how to tell if an egg has been hard boiled or not? You spin the egg on it's side and if it spins fast it is hard boiled and if it slows very quickly it is raw. I suspect that it would be the same for a frozen egg, it should spin fast because the inside is solid. I have never tried it with a frozen egg though. Hope this helps.
When I have left eggs in the nest boxes too long, I know they have frozen because they crack. If they are leaking or cracked, they've probably frozen through and are not good for eating.