Safety of buried eggs?

[Attila the Hen]

Over the years, ive found my share of hidden or buried eggs but in our heat i Cant take chances. Id crack em n make sure theyre not rottwn thenfeed em back personally.

Any egg I am not sure about goes to the chickens. I’ll cook them if I have an abundance or I’ll toss them raw into the yard. They love them! I’ve never had a problem with egg eaters

 

[ChatKath47]

I have not had this happen, but you are right, you have too many shavings in the nest. About 1-1/2 - 2 inches, or enough that it's not as tall as the eggs, is what I use. You can see the eggs in the shavings, or straw, or whatever you're using. I check my nest several times a dayi, especially in hot weather. If it's found right away, or in a reasonable length of time, the egg should be OK. If you are worried or if there is possibly a crack, you can do what I do, I scramble the egg(s) and add a handful of rolled oats and give to my three chickens. They love it and they have done just fine. Of course, when in doubt, if they have been layed well before you found them, you can dispose of them or cook for the chickens, but usually if it's only a day, they should be just fine. The eggs are pretty tough, have a coating on them called "Bloom" that protects the contents, so they're usually pretty safe. DO lessen the amount of shavings in the nest and DO check at least once or twice daily to be sure you find the latest offereings. Good Luck and enjoy your ladies!!

 

[MountainGaurdian]

In China they actually purposefully bury eggs for up to 100 years and then dig them up and eat them as a delicacy.

Just crack open the egg over a bowl and if it is bad you will know it...

 

[Eatarese]

Totally a personal choice if you want to eat them or not, but you can do the float test. It’s a simple test to determine if the eggs are too old. Fill a bowl or some kind of vessel with room temperature water and place the eggs in it.
As they age, the air sac in the egg gets larger, so when you put them in a bowl of water and the eggs are old, they will float. If they float, throw them out or to the compost pile. If they sink, it means they are fresh and ok for consumption. Hope this helps!

 

[Folly's place]

Like so many things we can try, the float test isn't always accurate either.
Mary

 

[igorsMistress]

I think it depends on your weather. I store my eggs on the counter at 80ish degrees and have no issues. They can site there for 6 to 8 weeks sometimes. I crack into a separate bowl before using to be sure they aren't bad.

You've had a couple of recent actual hot days I recall but my eggs sit outside for at least a couple of hours at those high temps, and much hotter, if not longer with no issues.

I would bring them in from now on and use them. Maybe dig down into the nest box daily to check or remove some nesting material so they don't get buried

 

[Stiletto]

In China they actually purposefully bury eggs for up to 100 years and then dig them up and eat them as a delicacy.

They are just called that (hundred-year eggs, thousand-year eggs, etc.) but they are "only" buried for weeks or months.

 

[Kiki]

 

[ShrekDawg]

View attachment 1851621

That looks so nasty lol well, actually, it looks quite cool and very pretty, but nasty as in I wouldn’t eat it

 

[Kiki]

That looks so nasty lol well, actually, it looks quite cool and very pretty, but nasty as in I wouldn’t eat it

I wouldn't dare eat one.

Looks as bad as balut. I'm not sure which one would taste worse.