03/25/2026
Very interesting info re/ egg ‘shelf life’- washed and unwashed.
When I started chickens back in 2012 I had no idea what I was getting into. Like clueless is the biggest sense. I knew chickens laid eggs and I had to feed them. That was the extent of my knowledge. I called Jamie and said I bought chicks and need you to get food and dishes. We kept them in our basement in a water tub for a few weeks. They were already feathered out so it was all good. I learned a lot that year. lol
Through out the years I also learned a lot of what I could do to push the limits with my birds and eggs. I learned that birds can be very resilient and live through most anything I throw at them. But also they are very fragile creatures when it came to their own kind and predators. But the main thing I learned is the eggs can withstand just about anything. In all my years I have only had a handful of eggs actually go bad.
I let my birds out in the summer for many years as I needed space for the new ones. I found an old clutch and man were they bad. They smelt for weeks when I tossed them in the manure pit.
I was doing an experiment on how long eggs last on the counter and fridge. 8 month old washed and unwashed refrigerated egg were bad and stunk up the house.
I left a bucket of eggs in water to rince off and forgot about them for a week.
Now those were gross.
All of these were before I started selling eggs to people. I had an abundance and didn’t really care as I was doing other farming things.
I did however always wash my eggs before I put them in the fridge as I find it gross to not. But remember what you do is your thing.
Let’s talk a little about what I have found.
Washed eggs within a week of laying will last 4-6 months in the refrigerator with butter side up. Yes that matters.
At 6 months I do the float test and they all still passed.
Unwashed eggs last 4-6 months in the refrigerator. Again butt side up.
I float tested and still none bad.
Now the interesting part is unwashed eggs at room temp.
Week one fine!
Week 2 more liquidity. But still fine
Week 3 starting to break down more liquidity and yolk isn’t as firm still fine
Week 4 a little more than week 3 but still fine.
Week 5 failed float test opened it a significant difference in clear and yolk broke easily but still fine.
Week 6 failed float test and yolk was very pale and broke as I was opening it. But still fine.
So what you do with your own eggs is great. I too like I said before do lots of things. But when selling I always wash and refrigerate within a few days at most. The break down of counter eggs makes a difference in grade of the egg you sell. And to sell we should have the freshest for our customers.
That be unwashed or washed. Whatever they choose. What we do with our own food is our right but what we sell to others should be of the best quality.
💕🙏💩
