Hidden clutch, confused on candling

[KatieH]

My daughter found a hidden clutch of 17 eggs today. My girls only started laying a couple weeks ago and they're locked up at night and sometimes during the day. I looked up candling and tried to make sure they were okay to eat, but I'm still confused on what I'm looking for. All the candling info I found is for people incubating eggs, I just want to know if they're okay to eat! I broke on open and it was fine (I could tell from the germ spot it had been fertilized, but no embryo or anything). Another was cracked so I went ahead and broke it open as well, again, no embryo, but it did have a blood spot. If those two were embryo free, theoretically the rest should be fine, right? My understand is fertilized eggs don't begin to develop until the hen starts to sit regularly, so they all develop at the same rate?

Also, it's been really rainy and muddy here so most of the eggs are dirty. I know that I normally shouldn't wash them to perserve the bloom, but for the dirty ones that needed washed, how long will they keep in the fridge? A few weeks?

TIA!

 

[JBC RANCH]

We are looking for an answer to this question as well. Got back from Dr. visit and found a clutch of 8 eggs in my squash. Temps have been around 100 here for several days. So are these eggs any good or not? We sell to several customers and we don't want any bad eggs going out the door.

 

[Lotsapaints]

If you put eggs in water and they float don't eat if they sink they are good

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Exactly.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

I am of the "When In Doubt, Throw it Out" camp. There will always be more eggs to come, I'm not willing to risk my health for a found breakfast. But that's just me.

 

[KatieH]

I did water test them and they were all fine, I just wanted to make sure I would crack one open to find a half formed chick! But I just scrambled a few for dinner and they were fine.

I didn't realize dogs liked them, I'll keep that in mind!