How to Store Freshly Laid Chicken Eggs

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If you’re new to raising chickens or considering becoming a chicken mom, I am sure you’ve wondered how to store freshly laid chicken eggs. Well, you have come to right place. I am here to answer any and all of your fresh egg storage questions.

How to Store Freshly Laid Chicken Eggs

The main question I find people have is “How long can you leave eggs out?”. There are many methods and answers to this question but I will share what has worked well for me for over 3 years.

I don’t wash my eggs until we are ready to eat them. Because of that, my eggs can remain on the counter for up to 3 weeks before needing to be refrigerated. After that, they can stay fresh for up to six months in the refrigerator. I wouldn’t personally eat them past that point.

You can however freeze your eggs. I crack 2 and mix them by hand only until the yolks and egg whites are blended and then place in a small ziplock bag. You can do more than 2, but that’s typically what is called for in a recipe. I find that’s the easiest way to keep track and I just write the date on the bag. If you place them flat in the freezer while freezing, you can then stack them together for more room.

How to Store Chicken Eggs With Bloom

There is a protective coating surrounding fresh eggs called the bloom. Basically, its natures way of ensuring bacteria can’t permeate the shell and the moisture needed remains within. Once the bloom is washed off the egg, it must be stored in the refrigerator. Additionally, once you place an egg in the refrigerator, it must remain there, bloom or not.

One question I get often is how to wash fresh eggs. I do not wash my eggs with soap. This is a personal preference but I can assure you, it’s never been an issue here on the farm. I collect my eggs daily to prevent predators from getting them and to keep the hens from breaking them. They fight over the same dang nesting box. I also find that keeping a clean coop helps in keeping your eggs cleaner.

I store mine in this beautiful ceramic holder I found on Amazon. It is weighted and is difficult to knock off the counter. Plus, I just like pretty kitchen “things”.

Once the ceramic tray I use is full, I move them to a carton. Many times friends and family pass their cartons on to us (in exchange for fresh eggs of course), or you can buy them online as well as any feed or farm store. We don’t need many as we seem to eat them almost as fast as my hens lay them. Or we have given away what we aren’t using.

I rinse my eggs before cracking them if they are less than clean, but normally I am a crack and cook kind of gal. Fresh eggs taste so much better than store bought so even if you’re not a chicken mom, I suggest searching locally to see who might be willing to sell you some.

Fresh vs Store Bought

You will notice that fresh eggs have a much darker and richer yolk than store-bought and have much more size variation and color. Different breeds of hens will lay different colored eggs.

My girls free range which means the don’t stay in the coop with the exception of roosting at night and on days I know I won’t be home for hours. Many want to know how long chicken eggs are good for in the coop. I think this depends on where you live. I clean mine out daily but ifI am gone a day or 2, I still use these. You can always do the “float test” just to make sure. I will get more into the pros and cons of either in later video and blog post, but I think my girls love being able to cruise the farm.

We don’t own a rooster. Mainly because they can be mean and I am not in the mood for a fight every time I want to hold my hens. My daughter wouldn’t be a fan either. She is a little less assertive than I am. Also, I knew I wanted to learn all about keeping chickens before I took on learning how to breed. That is coming soon and I plan to take you all along on my Youtube channel.

So what are the basics for safely storing chicken eggs?

• If you don’t wash- Can be kept on countertop for up to 21 days.
• If you do wash- Immediately put in fridge.
• Once placed in fridge (washed or not) must stay in fridge.
• Once in fridge- can be safely consumed up to 6 months of age

You can see the Youtube video I made all about this topic here.

How to Store Fresh Eggs Safely

If you have any tips to add or any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. I am always open to learning better ways to use and keep fresh eggs.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today and I can’t wait to see you again!

For more updates from the farm, check out this dining room remodel.

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