Frozen eggs

[Angiebubs]

My hens are laying again with the timer/lights YEAH. THe problem is now with the temps hovering around zero-When I get home from work, the eggs seem to be frozen. Does this affect them at all? Do they cook up differently or when used in baking?

I dont want to sell or give away eggs that aren't "perfect"

 

[IowaHeritage]

Depends on How Frozen.... takes along time for an egg to totally freeze but then again are we talking 25 degrees out or minus 10 ?

Either way as long as they havent cracked yet, they should be fine for eating, I sure would'nt want to try to hatch them tho....

That said, I'm not much of a Baker...........

 

[Angiebubs]

Its been hovering between -5 and +10 over night. Suppossed to not get above zero tomorrow all day. I am just wondering if they will be any different looking or "acting when cooking"?

 

[they'reHISchickens]

Why don't you try one and see? In my experience, as long as it isn't cracked, it's ok. If they freeze, though, there WILL be a crack in the shell because liquids expand as they freeze.
With those temperatures ( around 0) I expect you would have frozen eggs during the day if no one collects them all day. I would collect them, frozen or not. The ones that only hairline, I'd wash quickly and let thaw in a container and then crack and use them asap. The more-than-hairline cracks I would thaw and cook to feed back to them. Make sure your nests are as clean as possible to minimize bacteria in the vicinity.
Just my opinion. Some people cook and feed back any egg with any damage. I definitely would not sell any egg with any damage.

 

[Azriel]

I had one frozen the other day that was badly cracked. I was going to feed it to the barn cats, so I let it sit out all day to thaw, when I cracked it open the yolk was like a hard boiled egg. The white was like normal, I'm sure it wasn't still frozen, but it was all weird and rubbery feeling. I still fed it to the cats, they liked it.

 

[Angiebubs]

Thats the weird thing-after sitting all day, ( I know they are frozen) they look normal on the outside-no hairline cracks etc. Tomorrow is not suppossed to get above 0 and I work all day, so they will definately be frozen-I will try one of those.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

If the eggs are only laid in the afternoon, it's possible they won't be frozen when you get them. Unless they are cracked, I would assume they are not frozen, just very very cold.

 

[humpbacks1962]

It has been bitter cold in Connecticut, and I have come from work to pick frozen eggs too.
I just set them on the counter and let them warm up to room temperature. I have eaten them a day or so later and they're just fine.

 

[leight54]

I had one frozen the other day that was badly cracked. I was going to feed it to the barn cats, so I let it sit out all day to thaw, when I cracked it open the yolk was like a hard boiled egg. The white was like normal, I'm sure it wasn't still frozen, but it was all weird and rubbery feeling. I still fed it to the cats, they liked it.

Azriel, I posted about this last night, too. ("Surprising Egg Yolks!") Let me know if you figure out what this is all about - I can't seem to find any information on it. The fact that I had 2 in a week, from the same hen, makes me wonder if it's something to worry about......

 

[Azriel]

I had another egg today with the rubbery yolk, I don't know if its from the same hen or not. When the eggs are frozen hard enough to crack I just leave them on the counter to feed to the dogs,cats,chickens the next day. Its not every frozen eggs either, just been the 2 so far. I know if you freeze eggs to keep for later use, you have to mix sugar, salt, or honey with them before you freeze them, I wonder if thats just what happens if you don't mix something with them before you freeze them?
Also a note on the frozen eggs, if they freeze hard enough to crack, it is not recomended you use them for eating because of bactria getting in. If you let them thaw, the crack will close up enough that you really can't see it, but it would still not be safe to eat. Feed them back to the chickens, or your dogs and cats. I must admit that I have used the ones that are just lightly cracked when I wasn't getting many eggs, and I guess I'm not dead yet.