Harvesting Eggs For Consumption

[FL Crowing Hen]

I'm sure that this answer is somewhere in these forums, but I can't find it.

I am new to chickens, and just got my first egg yesterday. I left it in one of my nest boxes to encourage my girls to lay there.

My question is, how long can I leave the eggs out in the coop if I intend to consume them? I know that they don't have to be washed and refrigerated right away, so when should I plan on bringing eggs in from outside if I don't plan on letting the hens set on them?

Thanks!

 

[roseyred]

I do that sometimes to encourage them to go broody or sit on them. As long as no one is sitting on them constantly and keeping them warm they will be fine out there for a week or two. They may get pretty dirty thoo or crushed in the process if the eggs start piling up. It's also pretty cold where I'm at so if I skip a day or two of collecting the eggs are pretty much refrigerated lol

 

[BriardChickens]

I would take the egg inside right away and replace it with a "dummy" egg or a golf ball. With hens checking out nests it is more likely to break which can lead to egg eaters. Not a behavior you want to encourage IMO. From what I understand chickens that start eating eggs usually start once they've had a taste from a broken one.

Depending on what breed you have and your intentions with them (are you looking for them to go broody and have chicks or are you hoping for lots of eating eggs) leaving eggs behind might encourage broody behaviours too.

As for keeping them out of the fridge I know some people store their eggs on the kitchen counter, I will wait until someone else chimes in here

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I'm sure that this answer is somewhere in these forums, but I can't find it.

I am new to chickens, and just got my first egg yesterday. I left it in one of my nest boxes to encourage my girls to lay there.

My question is, how long can I leave the eggs out in the coop if I intend to consume them? I know that they don't have to be washed and refrigerated right away, so when should I plan on bringing eggs in from outside if I don't plan on letting the hens set on them?

Thanks!

A better option for "bait" in the nests is to use fake eggs, golf balls, etc. -- this eliminates the concern of food safety and also the risk of eggs being broken (can happen any time, yes, but leaving eggs in the nests for extended periods/days increases the chance of it happening) and leading to messy nests, etc.

 

[FL Crowing Hen]

I do that sometimes to encourage them to go broody or sit on them. As long as no one is sitting on them constantly and keeping them warm they will be fine out there for a week or two. They may get pretty dirty thoo or crushed in the process if the eggs start piling up. It's also pretty cold where I'm at so if I skip a day or two of collecting the eggs are pretty much refrigerated lol

Thanks! I'm in FL, so although it's cool here now, it can be sweltering. I imagine I should probably not leave eggs out there too long.

 

[FL Crowing Hen]

I would take the egg inside right away and replace it with a "dummy" egg or a golf ball. With hens checking out nests it is more likely to break which can lead to egg eaters. Not a behavior you want to encourage IMO. From what I understand chickens that start eating eggs usually start once they've had a taste from a broken one.

Depending on what breed you have and your intentions with them (are you looking for them to go broody and have chicks or are you hoping for lots of eating eggs) leaving eggs behind might encourage broody behaviours too.

As for keeping them out of the fridge I know some people store their eggs on the kitchen counter, I will wait until someone else chimes in here

Thanks for the tip. I may eventually want them to go broody. They are mostly EE mixes. For now, I'll just collect the eggs. I already have plastic golf balls out there in the nests, so I'll leave it like that.

 

[FL Crowing Hen]

A better option for "bait" in the nests is to use fake eggs, golf balls, etc. -- this eliminates the concern of food safety and also the risk of eggs being broken (can happen any time, yes, but leaving eggs in the nests for extended periods/days increases the chance of it happening) and leading to messy nests, etc. 

Good points. So the true issue isn't the lack of refrigeration, but rather the increased risk of the eggs getting broken or filthy. I already have plastic golf balls out there, so I'll bring any eggs in. Thanks so much!