Help, I Found a HUGE clutch of eggs, are they edible?

[Splunky]

We got our very first eggs about a month ago, we were so very thrilled! That same week we found a few eggs around their favorite spots in our bushes. Since then we have only been getting 1-3 eggs in our nesting boxes each day, along with a few soft eggs here and there, in the coop.
Well, today, we found the mother load of eggs!! While trying to catch our chickens to introduce them to their new paddock, we found 55 eggs!!! I do have to say they found a wonderful spot to hide them.
We know that 6 Reds are laying, and quite possibly our younger set could be too, there are 3 of them but I think their eggs will be blue.

So, are these eggs edible? Is it too risky? I do keep my eggs out on the counter for two wks at a time, they are usually eaten by then though.

Thanks!

 

[Habibs Hens]

dont risk it 55 eggs are a week or so old and main issue is being in teh open air bacteria could have infected them

 

[Happy Chooks]

Do you have a rooster? If yes, I wouldn't eat them.

If no, and it hasn't been too hot...........................you could do the float test on them. Floaters are bad, sinkers are good. I wouldn't, but you could. You could cook them up and feed them back to the chickens.

 

[Ohylime]

maybe you can boil them and feed them back to the chickens ?

 

[Splunky]

It has been in the 80's here, going into the 60's at night. I just looked up the floater test. Is it really accurate?
Would it really be any different than keeping them on my counter for 2 wks?

If I cook them up and give them to the hens, how would I do that? The shells too, or just the eggs? Will it turn them into egg eaters?

 

[Habibs Hens]

It has been in the 80's here, going into the 60's at night. I just looked up the floater test. Is it really accurate?
Would it really be any different than keeping them on my counter for 2 wks?
If I cook them up and give them to the hens, how would I do that? The shells too, or just the eggs? Will it turn them into egg eaters?

feed them back to the hens should be fine

dont give em shell though or they migth associate that with eggs and become egg eaters

 

[Happy Chooks]

I haven't pushed the float test that far, so I don't know. They have at least been sitting there 10 days. That weather isn't too hot.

You can crush the shells up with the eggs or not, doesn't really matter. Break them into a big bowl, whisk to break up the yolks, and microwave in 2 minute increments (stirring between) until they are done. And no, it won't make them egg eaters.

 

[Splunky]

Oh, I do have a rooster, but he is 10 wks younger than the layers. And, they actually don't like him. At. All. They pick on him quite badly, as with the others in his family (I have a group of 6 hens and then introduced 4 new birds are 10 wks younger than them. They peck them a lot!)

How old are they when they start getting jiggy with the hens?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Oh, I do have a rooster, but he is 10 wks younger than the layers. And, they actually don't like him. At. All. They pick on him quite badly, as with the others in his family (I have a group of 6 hens and then introduced 4 new birds are 10 wks younger than them. They peck them a lot!)

How old are they when they start getting jiggy with the hens?

If he's still getting beat up, then he's not mating. They can start as early as 14 weeks, but most of mine have started trying around 18 weeks.

 

[Ohylime]

I usually boil the eggs and crush them.. the chickens love it
the rooster has to be big and cool looking for the hens to like them ;D Lol my easter egger chases my rooster around cause she thinks hes not manly enough