How long are eggs good?

[sbrown]

I have an EE hen that I though had stopped laying. I let them range around the yard a good bit. Yesterday, as I suspected, I found a nest in my shed where she had laid 11 eggs and 1 from a RIR hen. I checked it today and she had laid again in that nest. I don't want to collect the eggs to eat now cause I dont know exactly how long they have been there. My hope is that one of the 2 hens will decide to start sitting the nest. The RIR hen hatched some herself last year. I don't want to waste more eggs either though if they are not gonna sit it. I thought I'd give it a few more days and see. By that point I guess I could go get an incubator and try and hatch them myself. How long should I give the hens?

 

[Chick Charm]

In the fridge you can keep eggs for a month.
At room temperature eggs are good for 3 weeks in my opinion.
If it is cool/cold outside a nest left for 11 days would be good in my book as well.
If it is warm (70's or hot 80's) I would not want the eggs if more than a day two old.
In the summer hot days I try to collect as often as possible.

Wish you the best. These are just my opinions.

 

[sbrown]

Is that just for eating purposes? What about for hatching? We have had some 80's here this week.

 

[Megaputz]

Eggs keep for like 3 months in fridge.

If you are hatching 2 weeks max. Have done it and have had 100% incubation rates at 14 days. Closer you get to that 14 day mark... end up with crooked neck and spray legs. Had 4 chicks... the spray legs made it and are healthy but the two crooked necks couldn't eat/drink and I had to cull them after 3 days of no improvement.

Only had two laying hens so I put the eggs in the fridge until I had two dozen. So they would all hatch at the same time. Some were a little over the two week mark

 

[Chick Charm]

Yes, I was thinking about the eggs being edible. For hatching purposes, I think the 2 week mark is a good gauge to go by.