How long too long in nesting boxes….

[Panhandler80]

We sometimes have a hard time coordinating whose job it is to get eggs. I checked this pm and it looks like they went unchecked three days in a row. When I checked just now, two had hens on them… I’m guessing broody, which is new. N Florida. Past few nights down to 50-60s. Warm during day? I float tested maybe 1/4 and all looked fine? Biggest concern is birds sitting on them and encouraging spoilage.

Thoughts?

 

[Rose Quartz]

I'd still eat them. If you're worried open them into a bowl before you use them to make sure there's nothing that started to develop in them.

 

[Panhandler80]

I'd still eat them. If you're worried open them into a bowl before you use them to make sure there's nothing that started to develop in them.

That was our plan. Thanks

 

[NatJ]

We sometimes have a hard time coordinating whose job it is to get eggs. I checked this pm and it looks like they went unchecked three days in a row. When I checked just now, two had hens on them… I’m guessing broody, which is new. N Florida. Past few nights down to 50-60s. Warm during day? I float tested maybe 1/4 and all looked fine? Biggest concern is birds sitting on them and encouraging spoilage.

Float testing is not going to help here.

Every egg has an air cell. The air cell gets bigger over time. After a while, the air cell is so big the egg will float. That can happen sooner with some eggs than others, but generally takes a few weeks.

Eggs that are less than 3 days old are not going to float, because they have not had long enough for the air cells to get big.

Float testing is most likely to be useful if you find a hidden clutch of eggs and you have no idea how many days or weeks old they are. The ones that float are probably old enough that you don't want to eat them.


As regards whether the eggs are safe to eat: almost certainly yes, even with the warm temperatures and the broody hens. I've had infertile eggs that spent a week in an incubator (same temperature as a broody hen), and they seemed fine when I cracked them open. (I was testing whether the eggs were fertile by giving them a chance to develop: no development, so not fertile.)

If you have a rooster, and if a hen was sitting on the egg the whole time, you might find tiny chick embryos when you open some of the eggs. You probably cannot find them by candling at this early stage. But if the hens were off the nests for the night, or if you have no rooster, then you will not find any development in the eggs. Partly-developed eggs are also safe to eat, but people disagree on whether they are gross or a delicacy

If you're worried open them into a bowl before you use them to make sure there's nothing that started to develop in them.

That is a good plan for any questionable eggs, and some people do it for all eggs just to be sure. Eggs from the store will usually not have blood spots or other oddities, because they are candled to check for things like that, but with eggs from a backyard flock you usually won't know about a blood spot until you open the egg. Blood spots are safe to cook & eat too, but are another thing that some people find unappetizing. The blood spot may be visible in some cooked dishes, but not in dark-colored things like brownies or meatloaf

 

[Panhandler80]

Thanks. No rooster(s) on site. Even with broody hens, 3 days and warm temps I won’t worry about it. The main reason for concern is that we give away most to friends and family. Sure would hate to get somebody sick or even just provide them with a gross experience.

 

[NatJ]

Thanks. No rooster(s) on site. Even with broody hens, 3 days and warm temps I won’t worry about it. The main reason for concern is that we give away most to friends and family. Sure would hate to get somebody sick or even just provide them with a gross experience.

In that case, I might mark the eggs somehow (like writing on them with a pencil), and use those ones yourself. That way you can open & check each one, and no-one else will be surprised by what they might find.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Biggest concern is birds sitting on them and encouraging spoilage.

I agree with what NatJ said.

When the egg is laid the hen puts a coating of what we call "bloom" on it. That coating is there to help keep bacteria out. As long as that coating in intact it is very effective. Chickens can lay eggs for two weeks to build a brood and then incubate for three more weeks without bacteria getting inside and killing the embryo. Other poultry like ducks, geese, pheasants and such can go four or five weeks of incubation after the clutch is laid. The bloom really is effective as long as it is intact.

With no rooster you'd think there is no risk of development during incubation. You might look up parthenogenesis. There are always exceptions and qualifications, life cannot always be simple. Parthenogenesis does not require a rooster for development. It is pretty rare but not impossible.

For both these (potential spoilage and parthenogenesis) and what NatJ said about blood spots I think it is always a good idea to crack our eggs into a separate bowl before we mix them with anything else. With blood spots and other things that could happen I include an egg laid this morning in opening them in a separate bowl.