How long have they been out there?

[JerseyWooly]

Hi everyone. I have two chikens, only one of which is laying age. I found this out because I locked her up one day and got an egg as a reward! Since then, she's been free ranging and sleeping in doors while I make the coop & run more secure. So, yersterday I found a pile of eggs. I don't know how long they've been there (nine eggs in all), but I know one was fresh because it was still warm. I also know that last weekend they were locked up in a small coop in the garage for the weekend while we were away. nine eggs in the fall is a lot for a single bird to be laying if she was born in July. On the other hand, the second one might now be laying too.

So my dilema. I would hate to throw away nine eggs my chickens have laid, but I don't want to get sick. Is there any way to tell before eating them?

 

[houndit]

We have always thrown them to the cats to be safe. If you know what to look for you can tell by looking at the air cell with an egg candler.

 

[Plain Old Dee]

I always break my eggs into a separate little dish before using them. That way I can make sure the egg is still good and hasn't been left laying around too long. It's better than throwing the whole lot out when I find a hidden stash!

 

[Kittymomma]

You can do the cold water float test. Fresh eggs will just lay on the bottom, older but still good eggs start to stand on end, and bad eggs will float. Mine free range so I've done this in the spring/summer when I have a sneaky wanna be broody.

ETA: I'm not sure about eggs that have been frozen. If it's been below freezing for sometime where you live you may just want to feed them back to the chickens or dogs/cats if you have them.

 

[chickenlady]

What kittymomma said. Thats the only way to accurately determine if it is good or not. Chances are they are all just fine.

 

[Spore]

If it has been refrigerator temperatures outside they are likely well preserved!

 

[JerseyWooly]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. We did have our first cold snap a few nights ago, but I'm going to try the cold water test.

Again, thanks very much. This is the third time I've turned to this community for help, and the third time I've gotten it far quicker than I thought I would. I hope I learn enough from the experience to pay it back.