Storing your fresh eggs.

Storing those eggs.

How do you store your eggs? Well did you know that fresh eggs do not need to be refrigerated. A large majority of countries do not refrigerate there eggs. Eggs can sit out on the counter for weeks if not months at a time if your house doesn't get to hot, and they aren't washed. If you was your eggs after collecting them then you are rinsing off the protective coating the hen puts on it as its laid that keeps bacteria out of the egg. If you do this then you will need to keep them refrigerated so that they do not have the chance of becoming infected with something harmful.

I find that many chicken keepers, whether hobbyists, breeders/showers, or just for fresh eggs keep theirs out on the counter or in the pantry. If you do this it gives you the opportune chance to use a decorative basket to store your eggs so that your guest can admire them. In my questioning i learned that some that do keep them out will usually put them in the refrigerator during the summer so they do not get so hot. I like to keep my eggs in the pantry in cartons and after 2 or 3 weeks if i haven't sold them i will put them in the refrigerator.

Those that refrigerate there eggs usually do it cause they were raised doing so, or the whether forces them to do so. Extreme heat can cause the eggs to spoil faster then usual. It can also cause the eggs to start developing if left at a high enough temperature for to long. Sometime they refrigerate just out of habit. I asked a close friend whether she refrigerates or doesn't and why and her response was " i do it out of habit". 

Then there are the hatching eggs. They are usually keep them out for 5-10 days on the counter some use turners some turn by hand  and then start up there incubators. These eggs are not washed since the incubator is the best place for germs to thrive in and they will spoil your eggs. I keep my eggs in the pantry and turn them several times a day. If i'm not setting my eggs after a week then i will moved them to the eating carton. 

The USDA recommends refrigerating your eggs because it helps prevent salmonella from infecting the egg but if the egg is already infected with it then you would need to cook the egg completely and for those of us that love to eat eggs sunny side up will think again and that also means no more eating cake batter or cookie dough, (not like any of use do). If you know where your eggs are coming from and know how those hens are feed and treated then there is no need to worry. It is true that refrigerating eggs will keep them fresher for longer but eggs left out on the counter are good for a few weeks to months depending on conditions. If you have eggs that are sitting out for longer then a few months then i think you should start selling your eggs.