HOW LONG ARE EGGS GOOD....Finding Strays!!

[Little Chicken Farmers]

I am free ranging and my hens are just laying.... trying to train them to nest boxes.....(thats a whole other thread...lol...) but I am finding stray eggs around. I have done the float test....they sink and stay horizintal but how long do they last? They were outside....not directly in the sun....found a stash of 6 so could be a week or more outside.... I have put them in the fridge. How quick will they go bad outside? How long do fresh eggs last once in the fridge? This is my first time with "fresh" eggs and I cant seem to find any info on storage/longevity etc.....

...sorry if this is wrong topic area.....seemed closests..."egglaying"....

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

well eggs outside really depends on the conditions they were in. Usually an egg will last a month in a refrigerator but will stay fresher longer if the egg is not washed.

 

[dot123]

I used to volunteer in a bakery in southern India. They never refrigerate their eggs and it is very, very hot there. It seemed strange, but they were, in fact, fine.

When you use them, just crack each one into a bowl to check it before adding it to your recipe. If it is very runny and the yolk is watery and doesn't hold together at all, it is probably best not to eat it. Otherwise it should be fine (cooked, of course).

Dot

 

[CrazyChickieMama]

why do they last longer if they are not washed?

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

the egg has a layer that the hen puts on it right when it laid and it seals the egg better when you wash the egg it is washed away.

 

[PotterWatch]

When you wash an egg, you take off the bloom which is the natural protective coating that keeps bacteria from entering the egg. If you wash off the bloom, bacteria can more easily enter the egg and the egg loses moisture more quickly, causing it to go bad faster. Commercial eggs are often oiled after being washed to try and retain moisture since the bloom is gone.

Edited for spelling.