When should we start eating our first eggs?

[Jhomicz]

5 chickens in our coop, all between 17-18 weeks. Found first eggs yesterday! I believe that two are from golden comets and not sure about the other 2 thin shelled. We also have 1 Americauna, 1 RIR, 1 Buff Orpington. Sounds weird but when is it "safe" to eat any of these new eggs? In my inexperienced head I'm wondering if the chickens should continue perfecting their recipe for a week or two? We had two more beautiful ones today.

 

[ronott1]

5 chickens in our coop, all between 17-18 weeks. Found first eggs yesterday! I believe that two are from golden comets and not sure about the other 2 thin shelled. We also have 1 Americauna, 1 RIR, 1 Buff Orpington. Sounds weird but when is it "safe" to eat any of these new eggs? In my inexperienced head I'm wondering if the chickens should continue perfecting their recipe for a week or two? We had two more beautiful ones today.

There is no need to wait. The eggs will be the best eggs you have ever had too!

 

[Jhomicz]

 

[MeepBeep]

Toss out the broken and cracked ones, clean the others with warm water, and if they are not cracked and broken as well they should be fine to eat...

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Eat those eggs. Eggs unlike wine don't improve with age.

I grew up on blood spotted eggs. We had a chicken farm and we ate the rejects from the candling machine. Break each egg out individually into a coffee cup and dip out any objectionable matter with a teaspoon before the egg goes into the frying pan or your cake batter.

However I am unsure if I have ever seen an egg with a shell on it like yours?

 

[Bine]

Jep, in some regions incubated eggs are a traditional remedy for all kinds of health problems. I wouldn't recommend this, but eggs have a natural protection layer that functions for more or less three weeks without cooling or washing. As long as your hens are healthy you don't have to do anything with them but eating. If they have cracks you can still use them on the same day or the next without problems.
with young hen you have sometimes the problem, that they lay in the run and than trample over the eggs, Your eggs look like this. If so, just lay a egg into the nestbox so they get where they should lay.
Hens are like humans they can be very clever and very stupid at the same time.

 

[newmarch2014]

You can eat the very first egg, but I agree it looks like yours need to be directed to the egg box, make sure you have plenty of straw or hay or other impact absorbing material in the egg box to keep your eggs clean and all in one piece. Put a plastic egg, or a golf ball, or even a egg shaped rock in the right spot to encourage yours to lay there. I am guessing you have a poop board with some pdx on it by the look of yours, if that is the case and they got laid there you can wash them and inspect for cracks and if they are all in one piece you can use them or refrigerate and use them. If you are a little nervous about using them for yourself dont let them go to waste, scramble them up and feed them back to the girls for a protein treat or do the same for your dogs if you have any (that is where our cracked eggs go when I neglect to keep enough straw in the egg box and I end up with a less than whole shell.)

 

[aart]

Jep, in some regions incubated eggs are a traditional remedy for all kinds of health problems. I wouldn't recommend this, but eggs have a natural protection layer that functions for more or less three weeks without cooling or washing. As long as your hens are healthy you don't have to do anything with them but eating. If they have cracks you can still use them on the same day or the next without problems.
with young hen you have sometimes the problem, that they lay in the run and than trample over the eggs, Your eggs look like this. If so, just lay a egg into the nestbox so they get where they should lay.
Hens are like humans they can be very clever and very stupid at the same time.

Hahahaha.... this made me laugh very hard and loudly!!

 

[Jhomicz]

Thanks all! So with your advice, my 8 yr old and I dined on today's two fresh eggs (definitely laid by our two Golden Comets). Of course they were delicious. And yes, you are correct that they were laid in the sweet pdz on the poop board. I have gone ahead and followed your suggestions and placed hay and eggs from yesterday in the nesting boxes. Really hoping they favor the brainy actions there and make the great migration

 

[aart]

Thanks all! So with your advice, my 8 yr old and I dined on today's two fresh eggs (definitely laid by our two Golden Comets). Of course they were delicious. And yes, you are correct that they were laid in the sweet pdz on the poop board. I have gone ahead and followed your suggestions and placed hay and eggs from yesterday in the nesting boxes. Really hoping they favor the brainy actions there and make the great migration

I get a lot of first eggs in the sand/PDZ on the roost board, just wash them and refrigerate...toss them if any cracks or breaks.

Put some fake eggs and/or golf balls in the nests...they should figure it out eventually.