Fresh eggs

[WelSummer Mama]

Hello! I needing a little help! My chickens finally started laying eggs! And I need to know the rules with the freshness of eggs.
How long non refrigerated/unwashed lasts. Do they last longer in the fridge? I am just not sure of time lines!

 

[nuthatched]

An egg will lose more moisture sitting on the counter for a day than they do for a week in the fridge.
Refrigerate, unless you go through them very quickly.
They last months in the fridge, about 2-3 weeks on the counter.

 

[Noraaaaa]

So because hey have a protective coating on them you can keep them on counter 2-3 weeks.

If you wash them you need them in the fridge (commercial company’s wash them) and they will last 3-5 weeks.

If you don’t wash them and put them in fridge it’s 2-3 months.

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

This article is helpful on whether or not to wash eggs:
Here!

 

[nuthatched]

So because hey have a protective coating on them you can keep them on counter 2-3 weeks.

If you wash them you need them in the fridge (commercial company’s wash them) and they will last 3-5 weeks.

If you don’t wash them and put them in fridge it’s 2-3 months.

Washed eggs from the store are actually 2-4 months old.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You will find strong opinions on this subject.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hello! I needing a little help! My chickens finally started laying eggs! And I need to know the rules with the freshness of eggs.
How long non refrigerated/unwashed lasts. Do they last longer in the fridge? I am just not sure of time lines!

There are no absolute set timelines. Let's look at some basics.

The reason eggs go "bad" is that bacteria gets inside and multiplies. If you have ever smelled a rotten egg you know how horrible that is. For an egg to go rotten bacteria has to get inside.

When a hen lays an egg it looks wet but very quickly dries. That liquid is what we call bloom. When it dries it is very effective at stopping bacteria from getting inside. Bloom is so effective that a hen can lay eggs for two weeks in a hidden nest and incubate them for an additional three weeks without bacteria getting inside through that bloom. You can add a week to this for turkey and most duck eggs. You can even add another week if they are Muscovy ducks. If the bloom is intact it is very effective.

If the bloom is not intact, bacteria can get inside. If you wash, scrape, or scratch the eggs the bloom is not intact. If the egg is dirty (has globs of poop or mud on it) then the bloom is not intact. If it is cracked the bacteria have a way to get inside. Some eggs are at risk.

The egg material inside the eggshell is a perfect food for bacteria to eat. Scientists uses eggs to culture (grow) bacteria. If bacteria get inside an eggshell there is plenty of food available.

Bacteria require a certain amount of heat to grow. That's where refrigeration comes in. If you store stuff in a refrigerator it can last a long time before bacteria overgrow it. If you remove the bloom by washing and store them in a refrigerator they can last a long time before bacteria causes a problem even if bacteria make it inside. If you store them in a refrigerator with the bloom intact they can last a very long time.

Eggs being incubated are not refrigerated, they are kept at incubation temperatures which is a perfect temperature for bacteria to grow. From a bacteria and the egg going bad perspective, eggs stored in warm temperatures can easy last two months, refrigerated eggs much longer, if the bloom is intact.

If the egg is fertile and you store it in warm temperatures the embryo can develop. It does not have to be at full incubation temperatures to start to develop, just to hatch. How fast they develop depends on how warm they are. I've read varying things but I've stored my unwashed eggs on the countertop for over a month with no development in temperatures close to 80 F (27 C). If the eggs are fertile you do not want to store them at warmer temperatures.

As they age the eggs lose moisture through the porous shells. This has different effects.

If you boil a very fresh egg it can be very hard to peel it without bits of the shell sticking to the egg whites, tearing holes in the egg whites. That is not a health issue, but it can look unappealing. If you store the eggs two or three weeks before you boil them this problem usually goes away.

As the eggs lose the moisture the egg whites can become runny or the yolks can become "loose" and break easily. Again, nothing unhealthy about this but it might make it harder to separate the yolks from the whites if your recipe calls for one or the other. Of course, some people may have trouble eating something that is not pristine and perfect. Some would call this a fault.

The timeline is going to vary for everyone, depending on what criteria they use.

Good luck!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I wish you would write a book, @Ridgerunner . FAQs about Chickens & Eggs or some such.