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Egg question for those who keep chickens...


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We're "babysitting" a small flock of chickens for friends who are out of town for a few days. We feed the chickens daily (scratch feed & laying feed) & we get to keep the eggs we gather -- about 4 (brown) eggs per day. We don't eat that many eggs, so I'm wondering, how long will these eggs keep in the refrigerator? Is the shelf life of organic eggs (I guess that's how these would be classified -- no antibiotics or whatever) longer or shorter than the ones you buy in the supermarket, or is it about the same?

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This might not be of any help to you, but we have kept them up to 2 weeks before eating and haven't fallen ill yet. I haven't tried them any later. Also, we have eaten cracked eggs within 24 hours and haven't had a problem. (Of course it's still cold outside, so it's as if they've been in the fridge since laying.

Susan

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We eat all of ours within a week. Within 2 weeks if eating semi raw or slightly cooked. Within 3 to 3 1/2 weeks old we use for serious baking. No illness here at our house. If you are wanting to make stuff like lemon meriange pie or things that call for raw eggs then I would use the day of or 2 days old but no more than that.

 

Holly

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There is no specific "eat by" date which one could apply to fresh eggs. Eggs will lose quality over time, but the likelihood that they could cause illness does not go up daily, much as the USDA would have you believe.

 

We ate cracked eggs almost exclusively for 10 years. With 130 layers, and dozens of "cracks" each week, coupled with a huge demand on the intact eggs, we - the farm workers and owners - were more than happy to consume the eggs we couldn't sell due to damage. I did not feel compelled to refrigerate my eggs, though I knew that they would lose quality faster if I did not.

 

My mother used to bring several dozen eggs from the farm back home with her after she visited. She'd keep those eggs for a month without one worry. Sailors who cruise long term without refrigeration would coat their eggs with wax and put them in the bilge for safe keeping.

 

You should have no concerns about eating those eggs for as long as it takes you to use them up.

 

Doran

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