Out of town for a week, chickens laid many eggs while we were gone; are the eggs still good?

[sierradasilva]

Sure! Nothing to worry about at that temperature range.

What a pretty collection of eggs to return to!

Yes, I was so excited! They are all from our new layers, five hens hatched last spring. They just started to lay in the past month or so.

 

[sierradasilva]

Eggs that float here get fed to the dogs. They are happy.

My dog gets any with minor cracks He loves eggs.

 

[sierradasilva]

Exactly!

Floating an egg will only tell you how old it might be.
They float due to evaporation when older.
It will not tell you if an egg is 'good' or 'bad'.
Plus then you've wetted the egg so it should be thoroughly washed and refrigerated.

Shoot. I guess I oughta stop washing the eggs when I bring them in. It's a habit, I can't stand the look of any smears or smudges on em.

 

[sierradasilva]

Thanks everyone! Great suggestions. I candled them and found one with a hairline crack. No floaters among the others, which was what I expected. Delicious!

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Title says most of it. We were gone for a week, chickens laid 28 eggs. Outdoor temps ranged from the lower thirties to lower seventies, I think. Are all the eggs probably fine to eat, as long as there are no cracks or punctures? I am assuming so but wanted to double check. Thanks! View attachment 1994362

Those are beautiful! What kind of chickens do you have?

 

[blackandtan]

What a beautiful nest!

 

[aart]

Shoot. I guess I oughta stop washing the eggs when I bring them in. It's a habit, I can't stand the look of any smears or smudges on em.

You can wash them if you want, just do so thoroughly and then refrigerate.

 

[sierradasilva]

Those are beautiful! What kind of chickens do you have?

Thanks! Good question! Of the new ones that are currently laying, I have one Amauricana that I raised from a chick, and four mystery birds that a friend hatched and gave me as pullets. She thought they would be Easter Eggers, but they all four came out solid black, and she thinks they are some kind of cross. One is black with lighter streaks around the neck and looks the most like an Easter Egger. I also have an older barred rock and a bantam light Brahma, but I don't think those two are currently laying.

 

[sierradasilva]

Those are beautiful! What kind of chickens do you have?

Here they are. The black mystery birds that my friend thinks are some Easter Egger cross are a bit bigger now. You can see the one with the streaks in the very back. Any ideas?

 

[NuggetTheChicken]

Here they are. The black mystery birds that my friend thinks are some Easter Egger cross are a bit bigger now. You can see the one with the streaks in the very back. Any ideas?

Pretty chickens . I see the one in the back looks like an easter egger, while the rest I am not sure about. Maybe jersey giant or austrolope mixes? Some full body pics of them might help. They must be easter eggers due to the color of eggs they are laying.