Backyard Chicken Eggs Faqs

Living on a ranch, I’ve had chickens my whole life. Its taken me years to appreciate those fresh free range eggs.

I’ve noticed backyard chickens becoming more and more popular, I figured I’d share some backyard chicken egg facts and how to make use out of your egg.

I have a small flock of hens, 5 right now. 1 Americauna, 1 Maran, and 3 Lavender Orpingtons. I typically get 4 eggs a day, my Maran is no longer laying. Most hens will lay eggs for approx. 5-7 years. Although, they can live up to 20 years!

Here are some Egg facts:

As a general rule, eggs should not be washed immediately after collecting them. There is a natural bloom on the surface of the shell that keeps out air and bacteria. Its important to leave the bloom intact in order to keep your eggs fresh.
Eggs don’t need to be refrigerated but one day out on the counter at room temperature is equivalent to about a week in the refrigerator, so if you aren’t planning on eating your eggs for awhile, it is best to refrigerate them. They will keep about seven times longer. The decision to refrigerate or not is a personal one.
Eggs should always be stored with the pointy end down and the blunt end up. The air sac in the blunt end helps keep additional moisture from being lost. Since eggshells are porous and will absorb odors, they should be stored in a carton or covered container
If you are in doubt as to how old an egg is, just do the ‘Float Test’. Drop the egg into a glass of water. A fresh egg will lay on the bottom of the glass. An egg that is two to three weeks old will start to rise up off the bottom of the glass. It is still perfectly good to eat, just not quite as fresh.
UNwashed eggs will last at least two weeks UNrefrigerated and three months or more in the refrigerator.