How long can eggs be left in the coop?

[Attila the Honey]

My girls lay all day long. I was wondering how long the eggs could be left in the coop, in the heat of the Arizona summer. If I go to work at 6:00, would they be ok to eat if they have been sitting all day in the heat?

 

[Captain Carrot]

you'll have to be careful if they are fertile. I gave some eggs to my mother-in-law the other day and she said she found one that had blood vessels and a small red dot on the yolk. I used to collect every day, but have been collecting twice or three times a day since.

As to being able to eat them, they shouldn't go bad that quickly. Collect them and put them in the fridge as soon as, and they should be fine.

 

[BlossomSilkies]

I'm so glad you asked this question because I was wondering the same thing. Leave early in the morning, around 6 and I'm home around 4:00. If it's 110+ out, that concerns me a bit.

 

[NoSleepTillBrooklyn]

I too, am interested in this answer. Although I'm home a lot during the day, I live in southern AZ, and was wondering if there was a "cut off" for hours outside. I'm by no means a "germaphobe" but I don't want to make a stupid mistake. @Kristy, I grew up in LHC, had a lot of friends in DH. Hope your chicken keeping endeavor goes well!

 

[BlossomSilkies]

Quote:
Love Desert Hills! So far so good on my chickens! I just got 1 more today. I really need to be done!

 

[dewey]

Figuring they're in a shaded area, they should be just fine as long as the eggs aren't cracked or damaged before collecting them.

Refrigerating them as soon as possible helps save the quality and extends shelf life. I'm in AZ, too.

 

[GarlicEater]

Where I am, we get hot summers. But, my coop is pretty shady, and on those days that are going to be hot, I can spray some water around the coop and that will cool the local area considerably.

I'm glad there's this thread though, I've been collecting pretty often and was wondering if I was collecting more often than I need to.

 

[dewey]

I think they cannot be collected too quickly in high temps for quality's sake, but won't go bad if not. Eggs are like 105 degrees at laying, then usually begin to immediately cool down, except when it's 118 outside, lol.

 

[Lisa202]

ok...what if a fertilized egg was left under a broody hen for about 20 hours? I forgot to check under her for extra eggs yesterday. Does much happen to an egg in the first 24 hours of being brooded?

 

[Captain Carrot]

Quote:
You may notice blood vessels on the yolk, but the egg is still edible. I had one under 6 hens and 2 ducks the other day....they all took turns in the same nest box so I think it must have been kept warm for about 9 hours or so. I cracked it open in the frying pan and notice the blood vessels. I still ate it but ending up flipping the egg over and making sure it was cooked all the way through.