newbie question ---- When do you put the eggs in the fridge?

[nyice]

Our girls (at least one) started laying this week (3 in 4 days) and we are not sure what to do with them. Do you leave them out for a while or do you 'fridge them right away. We stuck ours in the fridge after collecting them, but feel kinda funny after eating them for breakfast this morning!
Bye the way , they were yummy, but the yolk tasted differen than store bought (must have been all the treats)

Did we do something wrong?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
YES, you didn't invite us over for breakfast!!!

Most of us think that fresh eggs taste much much much better than store-bought, the shells are thicker, the whites firmer, the yolks richer, especially if the hens get into the real world & eat greens & bugs. They should keep well on the countertop for at least 1-2 weeks, and many folks prefer them that way. If/when you start gettting so many more than you can eat up right away, you can refrigerate the older ones.

Enjoy your fresh eggs & the hens who provide them!

 

[nyice]

Is it possible to refridgerate them too soon? Should we have let them "cool" before putting them in. I am a bit of a worrier.

So, most people prefer not to refriderate what they can consume in a few days?

And if the last few days are an indicator, I think there is more of a demand from friends and co-workers than the girls are turning out, so I guess this is really not an issue of eggs not being "fresh"

 

[TXmom]

I prefer to refrigerate mine right away, but I don't stress out if they're left on the counter for a day or two...

I've noticed that the very first eggs that each hen lays are the richest. After the hen is laying for about a week or so, her yolks will mellow out a little bit. I actually prefer the eggs that come from the more mature girls. There's nothing wrong with the first eggs...just darker orange and richer. I was raised on store-bought eggs, but I do LOVE these eggs from my happy girls...they're wonderful!!! Enjoy!!!

 

[lauralou]

I put my fresh-laid eggs in a basket on the countertop. Then after I cook breakfast the next morning, I put the extras in the fridge.

 

[Jen4]

I refrigerate ours as soon as I collect em.

 

[cposz]

Same with us - from the henhouse into the fridge. Sometimes they are even still a little warm when we put them in there. Once in awhile they sit on the counter for a few hours - no biggie.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can do it either way, on the counter or in the refrigerator. If it is in the frig, there is no problem putting the eggs straight in.

If you are going to give them away, I would not refrigerate the eggs. I'd be concerned that they would get condensation on them if I took them from the frig while they were cold. Since the egg shells are porous, I'd be worried the moisture would soak through the shell and carry bacteria into the egg.

 

[boaz]

If the nest boxes are clean of course the eggs come in clean, during the cooler months we leave our eggs out after collection, sometimes for days to no apparent detriment of the egg quality. We have some layers that like to stay close to the house and eat mostly commercial feed and others that roam all over the farm eating whatever they can find in addition to layer feed. The ones roaming have a much darker egg yolk which I think is a beta carotene increase. The girls will eat a garden if given a chance.

 

[HippieChickens]

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