question for farmer types

Message

BigDrawMan · #1 Post by **BigDrawMan** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:30 am

how long can a chicken egg lay around in the coop before it is unsafe to eat?

does fertilization matter?

does the rooster always nail all the hens?

dimmzy · #2 Post by **dimmzy** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:32 am

does the rooster always nail all the hens?

Sometimes he uses a stapler.

marrymeflyfree · #3 Post by **marrymeflyfree** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:45 am

I think an egg can sit around for quite a while, but I accept no liability if you should discover that to be false.

Lots of places in Europe/S America don't even refrigerate eggs in stores. Maybe they are pasteurized or some such thing...but maybe not.

BigDrawMan · #4 Post by **BigDrawMan** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:53 am

marrymeflyfree wrote:I think an egg can sit around for quite a while, but I accept no liability if you should discover that to be false.

Lots of places in Europe/S America don't even refrigerate eggs in stores. Maybe they are pasteurized or some such thing...but maybe not.

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i have heard that from semi-reliable quasi farmers before

eggs are in an airtight package afterall

marrymeflyfree · #5 Post by **marrymeflyfree** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:15 am

Dunno about fertilization...but I think you can find out if an egg is fertilized by holding it up against a bright light. Compare with a store-bought egg if you're not sure.

AlphaDummy · #6 Post by **AlphaDummy** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:18 am

marrymeflyfree wrote:Dunno about fertilization...but I think you can find out if an egg is fertilized by holding it up against a bright light. Compare with a store-bought egg if you're not sure.

That, or you could just sit on the egg for a few days.

Just be sure to bring something good to read.

BackInTex · #7 Post by **BackInTex** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:27 am

I hear eating fertilized eggs is good for gout.

andrewjackson · #8 Post by **andrewjackson** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:27 am

Egg shells are not air-tight. They aren't even water-tight. Eggs will dry out over time and they can definitely absorb odors through the shell.

I'm not really sure how long eggs are OK non-refrigerated. I'd guess a few days is OK but you need to be careful in handling the eggs if they have not been refrigerated or well cleaned. Salmonella and e-coli can be on the shell from passing through the chicken and being at room temperature will cause that bacteria to multiply on the egg's surface. It would be easy to then transfer that bacteria onto your food when you break the eggs.

Fertilized eggs develop whenever the egg's temperature is above 60F but that will be really abnormal unless the temp is constantly around 100F. So if you have fertilized eggs it is more important to refrigerate them quickly to stop that embryo development. Fertilized eggs are just as safe to eat as non-fertilized eggs.

Roosters do not have to nail every hen every day. Mating at least once every three days will typically fertilize most eggs. Hens do not produce an egg every day so the rooster gets some overlap. 90% fertilization is a good number depending on your hen/rooster ratio. That ratio depends on what type of chickens you have.

BigDrawMan · #9 Post by **BigDrawMan** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:49 pm

andrewjackson wrote:Egg shells are not air-tight. They aren't even water-tight. Eggs will dry out over time and they can definitely absorb odors through the shell.

I'm not really sure how long eggs are OK non-refrigerated. I'd guess a few days is OK but you need to be careful in handling the eggs if they have not been refrigerated or well cleaned. Salmonella and e-coli can be on the shell from passing through the chicken and being at room temperature will cause that bacteria to multiply on the egg's surface. It would be easy to then transfer that bacteria onto your food when you break the eggs.

Fertilized eggs develop whenever the egg's temperature is above 60F but that will be really abnormal unless the temp is constantly around 100F. So if you have fertilized eggs it is more important to refrigerate them quickly to stop that embryo development. Fertilized eggs are just as safe to eat as non-fertilized eggs.

Roosters do not have to nail every hen every day. Mating at least once every three days will typically fertilize most eggs. Hens do not produce an egg every day so the rooster gets some overlap. 90% fertilization is a good number depending on your hen/rooster ratio. That ratio depends on what type of chickens you have.

thanks I will give the old eggs to an unsuspecting type.And et the new ones

the rooster has 8 hens
2 are playing hard to get.