Storing Eggs

[myersfarms]

Sorry if this question has been asked, I looked and couldn't find anything. We have 24 chickens and get on average 9-10 eggs a day, sometimes more, but sometimes less..........however, there is just my husband and I at home. We give them to family, and I even sell some at work. But lately, noone is buying. So.........we're starting to get a buildup of eggs. I'm wondering how long they will keep in the refrigerator?6

 

[Ridgerunner]

A real long time. There have been various studies done, but usually several months.

I have no problems keeping them on my kitchen counter for a few weeks as long as the household temperature is low enough they don't start developing. They don't have to be be at incubation temperatures for them to develop some. They can start as low as the low 80's Fahrenheit, they just won't hatch at those temperatures.

Another thing with that is that if I wash them, they go in the fridge. I do wash the dirty eggs. When the hen lays the egg, she puts a coating on it called bloom, that helps stop bacteria from entering the egg. Bloom is often somewhat over-rated on this forum (it is not 100% effective) but it really does make a big different. If you wash the egg or sandpaper the egg to get rid of dirt, you can take off that bloom. So those eggs need to be refrigerated.

I take my excess eggs to a food bank. They are really glad to get them.

 

[Keric]

I agree, a few months. Like 4-6 months. If the egg is dirty and you wash it it'll wash the bloom off leaving the chance for bacteria getting in. So eat ones you wash first I guess.

 

[myersfarms]

Thank you both for the responses. hmmmm.......I wash all my eggs and put them right into the fridge. Is that ok? I have wondered what that coating is on the eggs. Very interesting how nature works.
And the food box is a great idea!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Washing them and putting them directly into the fridge works great.

Warning! I'm going to get a little technical on you.

It is recommended that when you wash them, you use water a little warmer than the egg. Personally I think this is overblown, but the theory is that cold water will cause the air in the air sac to contract and suck in dirty water through the egg shell. That dirty water could bring bacteria with it. If you use warm water, the air sac supposedly expands and keeps water from coming in. When the egg cools off again and sucks, the dirty water is gone and no bacteria is brought in.

As I said I think this is overblown, but it is an easy precaution to take.

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

I wash my eggs lightly with a soft cloth and then put them in the fridge. I wait til I have about 20-25 doz and then I take them to the Salvation Army. They LOVE getting surplus eggs. I used to worry because they were a week or 2 old (I get around 1.5 doz/day) when I delivered them, but found out that store bought eggs can be up to 3 months old before they even get to the store. I quit worrying, even at a week or 2, they are sooooo much fresher than store bought!

 

[Ridgerunner]

One reason the store bought eggs are stored for a while is that a fresh egg can be hard to peel when it is boiled. It needs to age before it becomes easy to peel unless you take extraordinary steps when boiling them. There are techniques to handle that but most people buying commercial eggs don't know the techniques and many could not be bothered to start with.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I store mine on the counter for more than a month without any issues.

 

[BigRooNTN]

I am sure glad that Myersfarms asked this question.

I have been putting mine under warm water and lightly washing mine with my hands. Then I dry them and place them in an egg carton in the fridge. We dont eat that many eggs so I was wondering how long I could keep them stored there. I give mine to the neighbors but I certainly dont want to give them a bad egg and make them sick.

So, I guess the answer is: it is safe to keep them for a long time and it is just a matter of who one talks too. I also didnt know that one could leave them out on the counter for a period of time.

Thanks. (Hope I made sense)

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

You can store them in the fridge for months and months.

Mother Earth News actually tested this, and found that fridge storage is the best method, but you can leave them out on the counter for a while if you want to. Here's the article: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1977-11-01/Fresh-Eggs.aspx