[Ceramictiler]

We have just got 5 hybrids and up till today we were only getting 4 eggs but today we have got an egg from each one of our new girls. Can anyone let me know where is the best place to keep our eggs and how long will they last. My daughter would like to know how old the girls will live.
Thanks

[bantam novice]

Hello there 
I tend to keep my eggs on the side in the kitchen rather than in the fridge.  Having said that they don't usually stay there for long 
As I understand it hybrids produce masses of eggs for about eighteen months then tail off.  They don't often live beyond 3 or 4 years.

[bexybeck]

We keep our eggs in an old metal egg basket on the kitchen windowsill (shaded, not full sun). You don't need to keep them in the fridge. Don't forget, the eggs you buy in the supermarket are already about 2 weeks old - they keep for ages but I can guarantee yours won't be sitting around for two weeks!

Which hybrids do you have? How old are they now? Some hens live longer than others you see. Ex-batts for example, are hybrids that don't tend to live too long because their lives were so terrible in the battery. Hybrids bought from a breeder should live longer and have fewer complications. Googling your breed will give you some answers.

[dinosaw]

The use by date on commercial eggs is 28 days after laying, so they will last at least that long. Before we kept chickens we have eaten bought ones 10-14 days after use by and suffered no ill effects. Personally i keep mine in the fridge but i don't think it's necessary to do so, just preference.

[themagicaltoad1]

I used to run a shop some years ago and there was a 12 week sell by date on the eggs I got from the wholesaler. Hard boiled eggs are difficult to shell if they are less than 2 wks old.

[hillfooter]

Trading standards advice to commercial sellers is to refrigerate preferably at 5 deg C.
They should be offered for sale within 21 days of lay and have a 6 day shelf life and a 6 days eat by date.  So normally the advice to home producers is to consume within 4 weeks of lay.  the condition of the egg is also important and cracked or dirty eggs should not be stored.  Stored eggs should be kept dry and not subjected to condensation and cross contamination with other foods.

Many home producers who produce for their own use don't refrigerate but there's no doubt that eggs will keep better and longer and any risk of contamination minimised if they are kept refrigerated.

Ultimately it will depend on how much bacteria is present in the egg.  Refrigeration will reduce dramatically any bacteria growth and ensuring the egg is not cracked or soiled initially will ensure that it starts with the minimum of bacteria present initially.

No eggs should be washed prior to storing.  They can be washed immediately prior to using.

All the above rules are just rules of thumb guidelines which if followed will minimise the risk.  They don't guarentee there's no risk nor do they mean if you don't follow them that you will be sure to be made ill.  But they will ensure that normal heathy people won't be made ill.

There are more vulnerable groups of people who are more prone to risk such as the very young or old and people with pre-existing illnesses or damaged immune systems.  Such groups should only eat completely cooked eggs.

How long do chickens live?  Chickens normally die as a result of some disease and the heathier a life they have lead the longer they will live.  

The oldest hen I have every had lived to be 10years old she was a Light Sussex pure breed.  Battery hens often don't live beyond 2 to3 years and can often die of reproductive problems in their second year.  Hybrids who lead an intensive laying life will often die before they are 4 and pure breeds usually lay and live the longest of large fowl chx though normally not more than 6.

Bantams live longer than L/Fs and can live to be 15years.  

It has been said that if chickens were to remain healthy that they are physiologically capable of living to 30 years old though this is purely a theoretical limit and really any hen older than 5 is becoming elderly.

HF

[freebirdy]

At last something I can bestow my knowlege on! New to chicken keeping but Chef Lecturer so know food! Hillfooter is right in most cases, yes wash all home layed eggs to minimise bacterial infection thru the shells. Obviously commercial layed eggs are salmonella covered, have to adhere to use by dates etc. There is absolutely no need to refrigerate any commercially bought eggs. Eggs are best used from room temperature as the protein cooks/reacts better to natural heating not from "shock" heating caused from cold to hot, ie; it affects cooking times and the natural binding of the protein molecules.
Home layed eggs, wash as previously said, refrigerate for 48 hours to cover salmonella risks (very much doubt most home chicken keepers vaccinate against) then store your lovely eggs at room temp, in a shaded place such as a cupboard, away from strong odours and moisture. This is to prevent cross contamination/bacterial growth/spoilage. Date your eggs (pencil the date on the shells) and use within 4 weeks approx. Eggs can store much longer than this but the yolk and white start to loose some of their viscosity and volume due to natural evaporation through the porous egg shell. Ta da! Cookery/chemistry lesson has endeth! Enjoy your eggs!!!

[hillfooter]

I'm afraid I disagree with Freebirdy (despite risking failing my cookery hygeine course  )  on washing eggs it's not normally recommended to wash eggs prior to storage as eggs are coated with a cuticle or 'bloom' which is water soluble.  This seals the pores of the egg and helps reduce bacteria ingress which may be present on the outside of the shell.  It used to be the practise and still might be in some countries that eggs are washed in a sanitising fluid and coated in a light oil which will keep them sealed and will last even longer than unwashed.  But as I say I'm not sure this is still done.  

If you do wash eggs and, as I said it's not recommended, you should use a sanitising fluid and ensure the water is WARMER than the egg so as not to create a negative pressure across the shell which will cause moisture and bacteria to be drawn in through the pores.  (IE eggs contain an air cavity and cooling this will cause it to contact causing a negative pressure inside the egg.  Warming it has the opposite effect).  I sometimes wash hatching eggs in this way if I think they could have become contaminated.

There is absolutely no point in washing eggs then putting them in  the fridge for 48 hours and then  removing them to room temperature to store.  Cooling eggs to 5 deg C will not effect or kill bacteria and in fact will just cause condensation to form on them when a cold egg is returned to room temp helping the ingress of bacteria.  If you must wash eggs then they must be thoroughly dried at room temp before you store either in a fridge or in a cupboard.

I agree that some people prefer to allow eggs to be at room temp before they cook them however you are in fact simply raising their temperature from 5 deg C to 21 deg C prior to boiling them at 100 degC.  So whether you raise them to 100 degC form 5deg C or 100deg C from 21degC the only effect this will have is to slightly effect cooking time.

HF  

[Dominic]

Mine go in the fridge
Maybe they dont need to, but I have an egg rack in the fridge, so....

[hillfooter]

Really the answer to this question cannot be unequivocally given.  If what is being asked is "What does the Foods Standards Agency recommend" the answer is to refrigerate and you can easily look up their advice to food handling outlets by googling.  

If what is being asked is "is it essential that I refrigerate" the answer is in most cases no.  But by refrigerating the risk that eggs will "incubate" a serious growth of bacteria if stored for an extended period is much reduced so the risks of food poisoning is lower.  

This is more serious to those who are less able to cope with a heavy bacterial load ie the young old or infirm and those with suppressed immune systems.  The less healthy you are the greater the risk.  The higher the initial bacterial load the higher the risk too.  So it makes sense to take a simple precaution which has very little or no downside.
HF

[Lindeggs]

Here in NZ the advice printed on egg cartons is "store at or below 15 degrees C."  Eggs for sale in supermarkets aren't refrigerated - they are stored on shelving near the fresh fruit and vegetables and treated in a similar manner - kept cool but not refrigerated. 

Perhaps the only advantage for me living in a cold, uninsulated house is that the temperature in the kitchen rarely gets above 15 degrees!    The kitchen is on the south (cold) side of the house.

I must agree with Hillfooter though about people with compromised immune systems.  When I give eggs away to elderly people, or families with babies, I am extra careful to give them the freshest eggs and I would expect them to be refrigerated straight away.

[hillfooter]

Here in NZ the advice printed on egg cartons is "store at or below 15 degrees C."  Eggs for sale in supermarkets aren't refrigerated - they are stored on shelving near the fresh fruit and vegetables and treated in a similar manner - kept cool but not refrigerated. 

I must agree with Hillfoot though about people with compromised immune systems.  When I give eggs away to elderly people, or families with babies, I am extra careful to give them the freshest eggs and I would expect them to be refrigerated straight away.

However my daughter, a biochemist, used to work for the NZ Minster of Health so I wouldn't trust a word they say!   But seriously different countries have different practises.  You would never find eggs refrigerated in France or most countries in mainland Europe.  in the USA you would find your eggs refrigerated.  We are probably similar to NZ chilled but not to 5 deg C.

Interestingly eggs stored at 5deg C for 4 days still turned out to be viable as I discovered when hatching some eggs once.  My inccy has rows of 6 eggs and you need to ensure they are filled or otherwise the eggs roll about when the cradle is rocked from side to side.  I was a few eggs short of a full row once and took 3 eggs from the fridge as fillers to pack out one row intending to rearrange things after I candled and rejected the duds.  In the event the clutch turned out to be very fertile and they were all viable including the eggs which I'd taken from the fridge.  They eventually hatched and were perfectly normal healthy chickens!

We have a friend, and I don't suggest you eliminate this, who being a somewhat eccentric bachelor once found an egg in the back of his fridge when searching the fridge one day and being one not to waste good food cooked it for his breakfast.  Afterwards he worked out it must have been at least 6 months old.  Amazingly he didn't suffer any ill effects.

HF

[Lindeggs]

When I win the lottery (or one of my friends wins it and gives me a million or so...) I will build a kitchen with an attached cool room.  That's where I will keep my eggs, cheese, wine, bread yeast, yoghurt culture... all 'living' foods that should be kept in a state of suspended animation rather than ice cold.

P.S. You're all invited to the party.

[Sassy]

Our local Morrisons do not sell any eggs in the fridge. I only refridgerate my eggs because I used to have a cockerel and did not wish any suprises in my boiled egg so now it is just habit. I would never wash eggs before storing.

[featherhead]

I go by this rule:
EGGY GOODNESS: Carefully place your egg into a bowl of cool water. The water level should be about twice as high as the egg.
1. If the egg lies on its side on the bottom, it's very fresh.
2. If the egg lies on the bottom but bobs slightly it will be about a week old, still fresh and good to eat. If the egg balances on its smallest tip, with the large tip reaching for the top, it's probably close to three weeks old, still fresh enough to eat but probably best used in baking.
3. If the egg floats on the surface, it is not fresh and should be discarded.

I'm afraid I disagree with Freebirdy (despite risking failing my cookery hygeine course  )  on washing eggs it's not normally recommended to wash eggs prior to storage as eggs are coated with a cuticle or 'bloom' which is water soluble.  This seals the pores of the egg and helps reduce bacteria ingress which may be present on the outside of the shell.  It used to be the practise and still might be in some countries that eggs are washed in a sanitising fluid and coated in a light oil which will keep them sealed and will last even longer than unwashed.  But as I say I'm not sure this is still done.   

I was keeping mine in the fridge but after reading this I'm going to stop washing them, and as I want to keep a clean fridge I'll have to keep them in a pot if I'm not washing them. But the floaty egg rule applies either way. I believe the way it works is that the porous shell lets in the bacteria which create more carbon dioxide as they live and grow inside the egg.