"Safe" eggs?

[chanceosunshine]

Would you eat eggs that are left in the nest all weekend when the weather is 90 degrees give or take a few? I'm not looking for governmental safety guidelines and I'm not talking about selling eggs. I mean, does anyone consume such eggs on a regular basis without ill effects?

 

[NatJ]

I would crack each egg into a dish, look and sniff, and if it seems fine I'd cook it & eat it.

That seems to work for any questionable eggs-- if it is not bad enough to look wrong or smell wrong, and then you cook it, you are generally fine eating it.

 

[The Chick Addict]

Are they fertilized? If so there are probably embryos inside. (And I wouldn't eat them with embryos inside!!!)

 

[Shadrach]

Would you eat eggs that are left in the nest all weekend when the weather is 90 degrees give or take a few? I'm not looking for governmental safety guidelines and I'm not talking about selling eggs. I mean, does anyone consume such eggs on a regular basis without ill effects?

Yes. I've eaten eggs under the conditions you describe for a decade.
If you are concerned, which you probably shouldn't be, it's worth remembering that the original habitat of chickens has temperatures of 90 F and the eggs still hatch.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Personally I'd save those for my dogs.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I've eaten plenty after 2 or 3 days sitting in those temps. I'm not sure even fertilized eggs would begin to develop unless it was a bit hotter than that and consistently. I've eaten my eggs after 2 days in such heat and they were fertilized. I've only found the beginnings of embryos if they've been under a broody, not just sitting in those sorts of temperatures. I crack them as a good opportunity to check fertility rates in my eggs if that happens.

 

[aart]

Are they fertilized? If so there are probably embryos inside.

Embryo development takes a constant 100°.

 

[chanceosunshine]

Thank you all. I live between two states and am always gone on the weekends. Generally I use the eggs, but I was worried about the heat.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The reason eggs would be unsafe is that bacteria gets inside them and multiplies. If bacteria doesn't get inside, it can't multiply.

About the last thing a hen does when she lays an egg is coat it with what we call "bloom". That's why an egg looks wet as it is being laid. That bloom quickly dries and forms a barrier that is so effective at keeping bacteria out that the hens can lay eggs in a hidden nest for two weeks and then incubate them for three more without bacteria getting inside and killing the embryo. Turkeys, ducks, and other fowl can go longer than that without their embryos being killed by bacteria.

It is always possible that the bloom is compromised and bacteria gets in. It doesn't happen often but never say never. So sniff the egg before you open it. If it smells rotten, toss it. And break it in a separate bowl before you use it or mix it with anything. That will take care of any potential embryo development. We should break our eggs in a separate bowl anyway, even if they are very fresh. We could get a blood spot or meat spot that would cause us to not want to use that egg.

 

[Folly's place]

I would definitely not use any that were dirty, especially if really dirty with yolk on them. Then we always break each egg into a separate dish before using it.
Remember that old saying "when in doubt, throw it out"!
Mary