How long are eggs good for eating....if you put them in the fridge?

[chickenpicken]

When I was young we did nit have a fridge but always had eggs. How long will eggs last in the fridge and how does everyone keep track?

Thanks in advance.

 

[glassparman]

I've always held to the rule that 45 days in the fridge is about long enough. One day at room tempurature is like 1 week in the fridge.

That is just my own rule . . . I have never put it to the test.

Also, the older they are, the easier they are to peel if hard boiled.

Michael

 

[belibutn]

i have heard about the same as above. We tend to eat our eggs too fast to find out. If we ever have more than a dozen at the start of the day, I bring them in to the office and sell them. so we end up never having any older than a few days

 

[UncleHoot]

You'd get a lot more responses in the Egg Laying forum. As a general rule, we've arbitrarily decided that 30 days is ok. Beyond that, they become doggie treats.

There are actually a lot of factors to consider, however. Were they washed? Washed eggs will not last nearly as long as unwashed. In fact, you can leave unwashed eggs out of the fridge for a few weeks, and they should still be edible. Think about it. A hen doesn't start sitting on her clutch of eggs until she has a dozen or so. And how long would it take her to do that? A minimum of 2 weeks, but it could take a month. And those eggs hatch into baby birds.

I belive someone said that unwashed eggs should be perfectly fine in the fridge for at least 3 months. Yikes! But if you're ever in doubt, use the water test. If it floats, don't eat it. It should quickly sink to the bottom.

EDIT: Just wanted to mention that we write the date (just the day, actually) that we collected the eggs on each egg. We occasionally forget to mention that to new customers, and they may say, "Why is there a '27' on my eggs?" But once we explain it, they really appreciate it. We tell them they're good for at least a month, so when the next 27th rolls around, they've hopefully consumed the eggs already.

 

[pdpatch]

With an unwashed eggs they have a natural waxy coating on them. This allows them to last longer in a refrigerator. But you have a much higher risk of desise getting passed to you if you don't wash them. With a small flock the risk is small but still there.

I don't remember seeing any place about anyone re-waxing washed eggs.

If you sale or give away your eggs, it is highly recommended that you do wash them, because of potential product liability.

Some where on the USDA web site they have the recommended shelf life for eggs. I can't find it or remember what is was. But I think it is around 4 weeks.

Tom

 

[becky3086]

When in doubt float them, drop them in a glass of water, if they do float they aren't good.