ok..I found all my eggs.Are they good?

[daystardoberman]

LOL

My hens ARE laying. I found a whole cache of eggs behind some stuff. They couldn't have been there more than a week. I put them in a bucket of water and none of the eggs are floating. They're all down on the bottom. Sinkers.
I know on store boughts that's how to tell if they're ok to eat. Since i'm so new at this I thought I better ask.
Good or bad to eat? There's 3 dozen!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Some sneaky pullets you got there. Congratulations on your first three dozen eggs anyhow. They should be fine to eat if they are all sinkers, and you are sure nobody was sitting on them. I would still crack them open in a separate container when you go to use them.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

Any eggs you find outside of the coop should be fine for weeks after they are layed. Now that you have washed them, they no longer have the "bloom" protecting the contents. These eggs need to be eaten within a couple of weeks. If you leave the bloom on you can even display your chicken treasure in a bowl on a table or counter for quite some time! Mother Nature knows what she is doing!

 

[daystardoberman]

Wow I didn't know they could last that long...Oh don't worry 3 dozen will be gone in a week...but if they can last 2-3 weeks, then I'll ration them out. They're in the fridge now that they are clean and ready to cook.

 

[AK Baha]

They are still good. If you have and doubts crack em in a bowl inspect and smell them.

 

[duknuk]

DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON ...

The sink or float test ONLY tells you the approximate age.
It does not tell you if the eggs are good to eat ... that is if they are NOT contaminated.

Eggs that are found in unusual places where you don't know WHEN they were laid could be seriously infected via contamination, heat, etc. with growth of eColi or salmonella, both of which occur naturally in all eggs. It only becomes a health problem when under certain conditions the bacteria increases to dangerous levels.

You cannot tell if such eggs are safe to eat by the float test.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON ...

The sink or float test ONLY tells you the approximate age.
It does not tell you if the eggs are good to eat ... that is if they are NOT contaminated.

Eggs that are found in unusual places where you don't know WHEN they were laid could be seriously infected via contamination, heat, etc. with growth of eColi or salmonella, both of which occur naturally in all eggs. It only becomes a health problem when under certain conditions the bacteria increases to dangerous levels.

You cannot tell if such eggs are safe to eat by the float test.

Okay, for one, that is why the bloom is deposited, how do you think Nature protects the embryo? This bloom keeps bacteria from entering the pores of shell. It is true that in some cases eggs layed outdoors could become wet and this could remove the bloom. This is why we must use common sense, if the eggs are low laying and covered in mud I would wash them and use them first. Secondly in order for an egg to contain ANY type of bacteria like e Coli or salmonella the bloom would have to be washed away and the egg/chicken exposed to said bacteria. When you consider how rare these harmful bacteria are in a backyard environment I wouldn't call them an evident danger. In a large egg/chicken facility yes, backyard possible (because everything is), but probably not!
That said, I agree that the float test is not the "tell all" of egg safety. Too many people are ingrained to panic when preparing food, when the truth is even something dropped on the ground then stepped on and washed off again, then dropped in the trash and washed off is probably not going to kill you!!!! (To clarify this statement is typed tongue in cheek)

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

Wow I didn't know they could last that long...Oh don't worry 3 dozen will be gone in a week...but if they can last 2-3 weeks, then I'll ration them out. They're in the fridge now that they are clean and ready to cook.

Enjoy them! It is exciting getting that many! We just found a clutch of 8 beside a storage box outside.....

 

[duknuk]

I guess I wasn't clear - the salmonella bacteria is already INSIDE the egg.
It is in low amounts, unless the egg gets too warm from being outside for days.
Then the bacteria can grow to dangerous levels.
Salmonella poisoning is something you really want to avoid.

An incubated fertilized egg, under controlled conditions, develops differently
than an egg left out in the heat, be it fertile or unfertile.

Again, the float test does not measure bacterial level inside the egg shell.

P.S. been keeping chickens since 1971, so I'm not guessing at this.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

I am not trying to be offensive. I am a huge believer in fact, and I make researching my life LOL! That said I think you need to read up on this a bit. Many misconceptions are from years of misinformation. People are told things are fact from a young age and pass them on as fact without any evidence. Here are some great articles that might help!

http://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/assets/pdf_Files/Egg_Safety_and_the_Backyard_Flock.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/features/salmonellapoultry/

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/06/salmonella-risk-in-backyard-chicken-eggs/#.UlMkx4amh48