How long do fresh eggs last? All backyard chicken raisers should know about eggs freshness while keeping them on an egg skelter of the counter, inside the fridge, or unrefrigerated.
Storing eggs is a common issue for most people who are keeping the few best egg-laying chickens in their backyard coop.
If you collect lots of eggs and do not have any idea how to keep them fresh, those eggs may get rotten. In this guide, we will discuss how you should keep your farm eggs fresh?
Also, if you are confused about keeping eggs in the fridge and unrefrigerated, then keep reading this article. This guide gives a complete guide on storing and collecting eggs from your backyard.
How To Collect and Store Fresh Eggs?
Whether the eggs you have collected are from quail, guinea fowl, or chicken, the freshness of most of the eggs lasts for the same time. So, this guide is for all poultry farmers.
Also, the color of eggs does not affect the freshness or life of the eggs. You can read our guide about a few chicken breeds that lay colored eggs.
After collecting the eggs from the nesting boxes, you must ensure to store them properly so that they last long. Always use clean bedding inside chicken or flock nesting boxes so that you can get clean eggs.
Cleaning the outer surface of the egg is no more important if you experience no issue with a bit of dirt on them. But if you don’t like minor strains on eggs, you can clean them with a bit of water.
You can also use a good egg cleanser to remove dirt and debris from the egg’s outer layer. Below we have provided one of the best egg cleansers which do not remove the egg’s protective layer.
- Quickly cleans away dirt and debris
- Does not remove the protective "bloom"
- Does not change egg flavor
- Safely sanitizes fresh eggs
Last update on 2024-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
We do not recommend cleaning the eggs with water because eggs have a white coating around them called bloom. This natural coating helps the egg protect from bacteria, which keeps them fresh for a long time.
Local Store Eggs Vs. Farm Fresh Eggs
Farm fresh eggs are more nutritious than local store eggs. Most of the research sites tell that storing eggs for a longer time leads to a decrease in the nutrition levels of the eggs.
Local store eggs have the risk of various types of bacteria contamination. Salmonella strains are primarily found in local store eggs because of extra cleaning of eggs, lousy storage, and handling.
If you have a few chickens in your backyard, try to consume eggs collected from them because they are organic and healthy. My daughter loves to eat boiled eggs, which we get from our backyard chicken coop.
How Long Do Fresh Eggs Last?
Various factors keep the freshness of eggs. Below, we have described how long do fresh eggs last in the fridge and also unrefrigerated?
If you have kept a few eggs inside or outside the refrigerator and those eggs have a bad taste, then avoid eating them.
If you have a few chickens on your backyard farm, you can store your eggs in an egg skelter or counter to keep them fresh and safe.
Always avoid eating bad-tasting eggs because they may have rotten. Eating this type of egg leads to serious health problems because it may be contaminated with bacteria.
How Long Do Fresh Eggs Last in the Fridge?
Before understanding this, do you know whether eggs need to be kept in the refrigerator or not?
Its answer is yes; you should refrigerate eggs if you are buying them from a local store.
Most of the store-bought eggs were cleaned for marketing and packaging, which damaged the protective layer of the egg called bloom.
According to most of the research sites, eggs last for about 6-7 weeks in a fridge with cool temperature, and when kept in the freezer, eggs may stay good for about 6-7 months or more.
If you have a few best egg-laying chickens on your backyard farm, then collect them and keep them inside your fridge. You can check out a few best plastic egg holders for proper storage of eggs inside your refrigerator.
- PREMIUM EGG HOLDER FOR REFRIGERATOR: This fridge...
- STACKABLE, SOLID COMPACT DESIGN: Made from high-quality...
- KEEP YOUR FOOD & EGG FRESH: The durable design of each...
- 21 EGG CAPACITY: A kitchen organization must-have, this...
- HANDWASH ONLY: Simply wash this BPA-free eggs plastic...
Last update on 2024-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
How Long Do Fresh Eggs Last Unrefrigerated?
If you are buying fresh eggs from a farm, must ensure they have not washed them. They may have cleaned them because sometimes dirt may stick with eggs.
Sometimes farmers also clean their eggs for better marketing. If they clean eggs before packaging, you must keep them in the refrigerator.
But if they didn’t clean eggs, then you can keep them unrefrigerated. Unrefrigerated, unwashed farm fresh eggs last around 14 to 15 days.
So, it’s nothing to worry about if you don’t have any refrigerator in your home, eggs stay fresh for about two weeks after laying.
- Rotates 360 degree and new spiraling design with...
- Made of food grade stainless steel,sturdy and...
- It can holds 3 dozen eggs.
- The spiral egg track that allows eggs to roll downward...
- New compact design for decorative and indoor use, ideal...
Last update on 2024-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
How To Store Eggs for Prolonged Use?
Before going through this guide, understand that storing fresh farm eggs and local store eggs has different methods.
Fresh eggs are organic, uncleaned, and they have a longer life than stored eggs. Most of the factory eggs are cleaned with different types of chemicals to make them shinier.
Do You Put Farm Fresh Eggs in The Fridge?
Yes, you can keep farm fresh eggs in the fridge if you need them for more than 10 days. If the climate condition is hot, you can keep your farm-fresh eggs in the fridge.
But in winter, you don’t need to keep farm-fresh eggs inside the refrigerator for about 10-14 days.
If most of the backyard hens are laying eggs, then you may need to put them in the fridge because excessive number of eggs in your counter and skelter may get rotten if kept more than 15 days.
How To Store Farm Fresh Eggs?
Fresh eggs are organic eggs collected from backyard flocks. They are freshly collected and consumed. If you want good quality eggs, try to give some extra vitamin supplements to your chickens.
If you are buying eggs from any local farm, then ask them whether they are cleaned or not. Washed eggs have a short life because the outer layer was no more.
But if the eggs are unwashed, you can keep them outside in a plastic tray for about two weeks. If you are living in a cold area, eggs may live an extra 1-2 more weeks.
If you want to consume them for over two weeks, keep them in a refrigerator to maintain their freshness and nutrition levels.
How To Store Factory-Packed Eggs?
Eggs bought from supermarkets were cleaned before packaging to make them more attractive.
Most of the stores bought eggs the natural coating was washed out, so they need some extra care for preservation. Keeping them out is not a good option because they may contaminate easily.
Please keep them in the refrigerator as soon as you bring them home. Just wash them with clean water and put them inside your fridge. Eggs inside the fridge can remain healthy and nutritious for several months.
Also read: Appenzeller Spitzhauben Chickens
Final Words
Now you have come to know that you can easily keep eggs taken from the farm without a refrigerator for one to two weeks.
If you buy eggs from a local store, then you must keep them inside the refrigerator. You also learned that you could keep eggs in the fridge for about six to eight months.
But eventually, I would like to tell you that if you want to store eggs for eating, keep as many eggs as you eat in 1 week.
Also, if you are a farmer, try to give clean bedding inside your chickens or birds nesting boxes to get healthy, clean eggs. So that you do not need to wash the eggs, and they last for a long time.
I hope now you got your answer to the question: how long do fresh eggs last?
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Is it safe to eat an egg that floats when put in water
Hi Tom,
No, its not. It may be rotten. But mostly it floats because its very old one with increases air cell.
To read our egg float test guide – read here