Why not use the fridge?

[Ridgerunner]

Why would you NOT refrigerate, other than, "we get along just fine wiithout

Partly what Aart said. When you take them out, they usually get condensation on them as they warm up to room temperature. That moisture can carry bacteria inside or get the cartons wet so the eggs stick.

It’s a pain to wash and dry them before they go in the fridge. Do you want to put an unwashed dirty egg in the fridge without washing it? They need to be dry when they go in as the egg inside the shell will contract as it cools and create a suction through that porous shell. If the egg is wet water gets sucked inside which might carry bacteria with it.

“What's the shelf life on counter vs refrigerated? Two weeks vs two months?”

How high is up? How many balls of string would it take to reach the moon? Some questions are hard to answer with hard and fast answers. “It depends” is the correct answer. The reason an egg goes bad is that bacteria gets inside and multiplies. The warmer the egg is, the faster the bacteria multiplies. If the egg is stored in a refrigerator it’s probably cool enough that the bacteria isn’t likely to multiply, even if it gets inside. If you keep the egg clean, most refrigerators aren’t likely to harbor bacteria to infect the egg. Even washed eggs can be stored a long time before you have any problems.

If an egg is stored at room temperature with the bloom intact, it can last a very long time. Consider a hen may lay eggs in a hidden nest for over two weeks and then incubate them for another three weeks. Some birds incubate for four or even five weeks. Those eggs don’t normally get bacteria inside. Consider how much more sanitary your countertop is compared to those hidden nests.

An unwashed fairly clean egg with the bloom intact can last months on your counter. If the bloom is compromised the egg won’t last that long. A refrigerated egg can last even longer. In all cases the egg will lose moisture through the porous shell, so there will be changes to the egg, but it is still safe to eat. That moisture loss is why eggs stored for a longer time are easier to peel when boiled.

If you wash your eggs put them in the refrigerator. If you don’t wash your eggs, do as you please.

 

[EasterEggDrew]

This time of year in Connecticut some of the eggs are at refrigerator temperature when I collect them. I would not want to store them at room temperature for days.
I wash daily or two in the evening, air dry overnight and refrigerate year round. Friends and neighbors want them washed. For myself if the egg is clean I would not wash, but I would still refrigerate and use as soon as I take it out. GC

Same here. Most years, I have several days below 0F, and weeks in the teens. So for anyone posting the, "once refrigerated, keep them refrigerated", this would mean most of the eggs I collect during winter months.

I only refrigerate washed eggs, and only wash any that are really 'dirty', and use them myself rather than selling.
I won't put unwashed eggs in my fridge, clean appearing or not.

If I wash I thoroughly wash by 'spin-scrubbing' with hands entire surface of egg under 'warmer than the egg' running water.
Air and/or towel dry completely before refrigeration.
'Kinda cleaning' by scraping or dry scrubbing is illusory and could be dangerous biologically.

I learned working a biological clean room that 'water is life',
keep things dry and any present bacteria is usually pretty benign if it doesn't have water to proliferate.

This makes me think I've been refrigerating my washed eggs too soon after washing. Example, today I had a broken egg in the nesting box, along with one good egg. I disposed the broken egg, and the wood chips that were dirtied by it, and brought the unbroken (but now dirty) egg into the house and washed it. Copied your hand spin scrub technique with room temperature water on a cool egg. But then I toweled it off and put it right into a plastic egg carton in the fridge. Next time I'll let it dry a long time on the counter, first.

Any issue with frozen eggs? No one is at home during the day, so egg collection is around 6am and 6pm. I anticipate I'll be dealing with frozen eggs most winters, when temperatures are 20F below the freezing point, although this year is bizarrely warm.

 

[aart]

Quote: I just set them on a towel or in the dish drainer, then finish drying with the towel. I don't air dry for hours, just so they don't feel wet/damp.

Frozen eggs are a problem...well, not for me as I am a retired homebody and just gather often if needed.
I can't even imagine raising chickens while I was still working full time and gone from home for 10 or more hours a day.
RonP has it figured out https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/heated-nesting-boxes-help-stop-frozen-eggs

It's so dry in the house during winter that I don't see the condensation problem bringing cold eggs inside.

 

[Beekissed]

What's the shelf life on counter vs refrigerated? Two weeks vs two months?

So far, the only advantage I've seen listed for counter storage is that they look pretty. That is worth something, they do look pretty, but any other reason?

Not quite...depending on the ambient temps in the home, those eggs can stay on the counter for a month and more, THEN go in the fridge for months longer. If stored properly, eggs can be safely out of refrigeration for up to 5 mo. People who take eggs on ocean voyages coat them in a heavy oil/grease and store them in a cool, dark place in order to keep them for months and still fresh.

I don't put mine in the fridge as they tend to absorb fridge food odors, which taints their taste. If you have some good taste buds and a good sniffer, you can taste it. If I do finally put them in the fridge, I don't put them in a fridge where other foods are being stored.

 

[EasterEggDrew]

One saving grace is that I have painted my coop a dark color, to match my barn. With the nesting boxes isolated from any cross-flow ventilation in the coop, I believe they probably stay above freezing on any day with sun. Cloud days and overnight... forget it, they will freeze for sure.

I've seen solutions similar to RonP's, but they all require electric, and I have no electric at the coop. That may need to change, before next winter.

I guess I'll be asking a whole different set of questions come June and July, when it's not uncommon for us to have days above 100F, and 90F's are fairly regular. Thankfully, I chose to build the coop in a location that gets some shade in summer.

 

[Beekissed]

One saving grace is that I have painted my coop a dark color, to match my barn. With the nesting boxes isolated from any cross-flow ventilation in the coop, I believe they probably stay above freezing on any day with sun. Cloud days and overnight... forget it, they will freeze for sure.

I've seen solutions similar to RonP's, but they all require electric, and I have no electric at the coop. That may need to change, before next winter.

I guess I'll be asking a whole different set of questions come June and July, when it's not uncommon for us to have days above 100F, and 90F's are fairly regular. Thankfully, I chose to build the coop in a location that gets some shade in summer.

How cold does it get at your place?

 

[EasterEggDrew]

How cold does it get at your place?

Average low of 19.5F and average high of 36.0F, but we'll usually have a few days 20F colder than that, and several more than are 10F colder than average.

This year and last we're 20-30F warmer than average, so we'll be well below another, to keep that average.

 

[Beekissed]

Average low of 19.5F and average high of 36.0F, but we'll usually have a few days 20F colder than that, and several more than are 10F colder than average.

This year and last we're 20-30F warmer than average, so we'll be well below another, to keep that average.

I can't imagine why your eggs would freeze in the nests at those temps. Sufficiently deep with good hay, they should be well insulated enough to keep eggs from freezing at those temps. Mine don't freeze in the nests unless I've left them overnight in zero or subzero weather, but just to be laid of a morning and sit in the nest boxes all day at subzero temps they won't freeze.

 

[EasterEggDrew]

I can't imagine why your eggs would freeze in the nests at those temps. Sufficiently deep with good hay, they should be well insulated enough to keep eggs from freezing at those temps. Mine don't freeze in the nests unless I've left them overnight in zero or subzero weather, but just to be laid of a morning and sit in the nest boxes all day at subzero temps they won't freeze.

Awesome. Thanks! I'll take a "wait and see" approach, then. Thankfully, this winter has been too warm to matter, so I have no experience tending eggs in cold, yet.