General Questions about egg collecting (from newbie)

[prodds]

I will be getting some chicks soon, and am learning alot on this site! I haven't been able to find much info on collecting and storing eggs. Do hens lay eggs any time during the day? How long can an egg be in a coop before it goes "bad" (inedible)? I've also read about washing vs. not washing the eggs - any opinions? Thanks, in advance, for helping out this newbie!

 

[aghiowa]

I'm pretty new to chickens too, but I can answer a few of your questions. My hens lay anywhere from 6 am to around 3 pm. Once it gets to afternoon, they don't lay. They usually go an hour or two later each day, and then skip one day, then start up again early in the morning the next day.

I generally don't wash our eggs unless they have visible ick on them. Then I use only hot water and dry them well before I store them. We've never gotten sick.

Don't know about your other questions.

Angela

 

[3 sisters farm]

Hens usually lay eggs any time of day usually between 5:00am and even with some of our chickens as late as 7:00pm during the warm summer months. It depends on if the egg is cracked or not if it is considered bad. If it is cracked, usually only a day or two. If it is just a normal egg, than it can sometimes go as long as a month. It all depends.

 

[prodds]

Is that how long the eggs can go before they are collected? I work away from home, so I would only be able to collect eggs in the evenings. Would I be able to collect every other day or so? Or do you recommend collecting everyday and refrigerating as soon as possible?

 

[Patricia Jane]

Mine lay anywhere btwn 9am and 7pm. I usually check periodically throughout the day but have on occasion been gone and collected at the end of the day. Never had a problem with them. I don't wash mine till ready to use, I just rinse them off under running water right before I use them. Good luck and enjoy your chickens.

 

[JerseyFresh]

I think if you skipped a day or two between collecting you'd be fine.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
I gather eggs in the evenings on work days, and a couple times a day on the weekends. Mine are all kept on the kitchen counter until I use them - or sell them. I sell the freshest, of course, and eat the older eggs not sold. Do not wash them until use them, and I do not wash those I sell.

They can last at room temp for well over a month, longer if you refrigerate them.