# Gathering Chicken Eggs



## doxiemoxie (Jun 28, 2011)

I know this should probably be posted at BYC but I don't want to create a new account as I don't have chickens. 

My neighbor usually provides me with eggs and they are always great tasting and seem healthy (solid shells, large gold yolks).  However, last time I got eggs she said they hadn't collected for a couple days.  I followed her into the coop and there were eggs everywhere!  I suspect its been about 4-5 days since they last gathered eggs.  Anyway.  She gave me a bunch which I accepted but I'm a little concerned about how long an egg should be able to sit out (especially in 90 degree + temps)   I've had chickens before so I don't worry about a day going by and would even consider two days but this seems to be pushing it.  Does anyone know a good rule of thumb?  Would you eat these eggs?  Would you feed them to your dogs?  Any and all advice welcome.  Thank you.


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## elevan (Jun 28, 2011)

I collect my eggs every day...very rarely they're out a second day.

IF for any reason they sat for 3 or more days in those temps I wouldn't consume them.  For me if the outside temp is above 75* they aren't fit for human consumption if they've sat for more than 2 days out.

Now, since they are good for hatching for much longer than that then I wouldn't see a problem in hard boiling them and feeding them to the dogs.  I just found a nest that one of my hens was hiding eggs...24 eggs! That means 24 days worth of eggs from this hen.  I hard boiled them and the pigs got most of it but the dogs caught a few.  No one got sick.


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## carolinagirl (Jun 29, 2011)

If a chicken egg is unwashed, it is fine for a long time without spoiling.  They have a coating on them that does not permit bacteria to enter the shell.  Onve they are washed, they must be refigerated.  Think about it....a hen lays an egg a day for well over a week until she finally decided it's time to set them.  None of them spoil while waiting for the hen....and they all hatch the same day.  We used to get fresh eggs from the egg farm and they would sit out on the counter for as long as a month.  If you crack the egg open and the yolk flattens or the air space is huge, it's started going bad.  Otherwise, the egg is just fine.


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## Julie_A (Jun 29, 2011)

Did anyone mention "floating" the eggs? I have a friend who has yard eggs and says you can put them in water and if they float, they're bad. I've never done it, though. The other post mentioning a broken yolk... that's what I go by.


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## elevan (Jun 29, 2011)

Julie_A said:
			
		

> Did anyone mention "floating" the eggs? I have a friend who has yard eggs and says you can put them in water and if they float, they're bad. I've never done it, though. The other post mentioning a broken yolk... that's what I go by.


Here's a very good description of that method:  http://www.helpwithcooking.com/egg-guide/fresh-egg-test.html


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## Julie_A (Jun 29, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

> Julie_A said:
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## ThreeBoysChicks (Jun 29, 2011)

I really think you need to watch the temps.  If an egg is in 95+ degrees long enough and the egg is fertilized, the growth process will start. 

I collected twice a day in the summer, once a day in the winter.  If they stay out more than 1 day, I don't eat them.  But that is just me.


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## More of a BYC person (Jul 1, 2011)

They should be fine. If their not, you'll know once you crack them open


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## RyanZierke (Jul 1, 2011)

Personally, I would not eat them. Better safe than sorry.


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## Lizzie098 (Jul 2, 2011)

They should be fine. Eggs have a special coating on them that make them last a long time. But I do question that with the heat so high. I would ot trust the "if it floats in water its bad," method because some of our eggs float right after they are hatched! We feed some of our eggs to our dog raw. It is realy good for her, and it healps keep her fur pretty. Yes you might say Oh that might kill her, but it will not. We raise our chikens on local feed so we knw that they are ok for her like that. My uncle used to swollow a raw egg a day!     And he was healthy as a horse!!!  Good luck on whatever you decide to do!


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## lgdnevada (Jul 9, 2011)

I have about 50 chickens; I have had to skip a day collecting eggs now and then, and even in the heat, have found they have not spoiled after two days and are fit for eating.  I agree with above poster about protective coating on shell, it really does keep them 'safe' for longer than you'd expect.


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