When we first got into keeping chickens in our backyard, we loved having fresh farm eggs.
But when we went on vacation, we started to worry about the eggs while we were gone.
Would they stay good? How long can the eggs stay in the coop without causing problems?
As with many things, we learned by doing and asking people with more experience than us, and here’s what we found.
Chicken eggs can stay in the coop for 4-5 weeks safely. After washing the eggs, the natural anti-bacterial coating will be removed, and salmonella will spread. At this point, they need to be kept refrigerated. However, eggs left in a coop may be broken, attacked by predators, or confuse your hens into brooding.
Keep reading to find out more about what happens to eggs left in a coop.
Table of Contents
How Long Can Eggs Safely Stay In The Coop?
Surprisingly, eggs can stay perfectly fresh in the coop for a long time.
We had always been told to harvest eggs every day, so this information blew our minds.
There’s a reason you should harvest daily, but it doesn’t have to do with freshness or salmonella (more on this later).
The general rule is 4 weeks in a coop is safe. Some may stay fresh up to 5 weeks in mild weather, and in hot weather, the number may dip down if the temperatures are high.
The key here is in making sure the egg hasn’t been washed, as unwashed eggs will stay fresh longer.
Where Does Salmonella Come Into Play With Chicken Eggs?
If you were shocked by the previous sentence, don’t feel alone. We were too.
When eggs are laid, they have a natural anti-bacterial coating to protect them as they’re incubated.
Of course, this makes sense. What good would fertilized chicken eggs be if they got infected within hours?
This coating is called a bloom, and it protects the egg’s pores and keeps it fresh.
After an egg is washed, the bloom is removed, and bacteria will start to thrive.
The exterior will gain high amounts of salmonella, and the interior will start to rot and gain odor.
This happens within a matter of hours.
In commercial chicken farming, eggs are harvested, washed, and stored in fridges within a short time.
For home farmers, we don’t have to rush as much but do make sure you store the washed eggs in a cooler right away.
How Long Can Eggs Stay Outside In The Heat?
With mild temperatures such as 68° degrees Fahrenheit (20° C), the eggs will be just fine.
As the temps rise above this, the timeline shortens from 4 weeks to closer to 3 weeks.
If the air gets to 100° degrees Fahrenheit (38° C) or higher, they’ll rot quickly or start to incubate if the eggs are fertilized.
Sunlight will also affect the temperature of the egg and the coop, so make sure you account for this as well.
How Often Should You Collect Chicken Eggs?
All of this being said, you still need to collect eggs at least once per day if possible.
It’s even better if you can collect them twice per day.
Most chickens are done laying eggs around mid-morning, but some may be off schedule (or ahead if they laid an egg super early in the morning).
Collecting eggs encourages more egg-laying resulting in higher production.
It also avoids some other issues (check the next section).
If collecting daily doesn’t happen every single time, it’s OK. Just makes sure the eggs get collected with regularity.
Why Do You Need To Gather Chicken Eggs Quickly?
Even though the eggs stay fresh, they will cause problems in the coop.
The Eggs May Break
The longer eggs are in the coop, the greater the chance they’ll break.
Chickens are pretty cool, but they aren’t known for being gentle creatures.
If you want to keep your eggs for eating, get them out of there quickly.
Chickens May Eat Their Eggs
Chickens eat pretty much anything, including their own eggs.
It’s not so much a cannibalism thing. Unfertilized eggs are great sources for recovering protein.
Some owners encourage their chickens to eat eggs because it’s packed with good stuff, but others avoid it for fear of accidentally getting their hens in the habit of eating eggs.
Leftover eggs in the coop, especially those that have broken, are a temptation for your chickens after a while.
Eggs Attract Predators
Eggs have a scent (though not what you may realize), and local predators pick up on them quickly over time.
The longer an egg sits, the stronger the scent.
Here are some natural predators for chicken eggs:
- Rats
- Snakes
- Skunks
- Jays
- Crows
- Opossums
- Raccoons
- Dogs
- Weasels
Hens May Start To Brood
Brooding happens when a hen’s motherly instincts kick in and tell it to take care of the eggs and chicks later on.
When there are a lot of eggs, chickens tend to think there are some chicks coming.
While not a health problem, brooding hens stop laying eggs, which kind of defeats the purpose.
How To Tell If Fresh Chicken Eggs Are Bad
The easiest way to tell if an egg is fresh without cracking it open is through an old method called the float test.
Fill a bowl or tall glass up with room temperature water.
Gently drop the egg in and watch to see if it floats or sinks.
If it sinks, it’s fresh. If it floats or hovers in the middle, toss it out.
It’s really as simple as that.
How To Clean Your Eggs After Gathering
Here are some steps and tips for cleaning eggs after harvesting to prevent spreading bacteria:
Cool eggs only after being cleaned. Cooling them before washing opens the pores and allows dirt and bacteria in.
Once collected, wash them quickly. Limit contamination and potentially damaging of the interior egg proteins. Use water 10° degrees warmer than the egg to close the pores and push dirt and bacteria out.
After washing, take the egg out of the water, or the pores will open up and absorb the dirt again.
Dry the eggs with a soft towel and refrigerate them right away. The temperature should be 45° degrees Fahrenheit (7° C) or lower.
Avoid storing with odor-causing foods. Eggs absorb smell pretty quickly, and don’t let them go.
Interestingly enough, if chickens eat things with a strong smell, they won’t pass the smell to the egg.
Chickens will even eat stink bugs without much problem and have zero smell at all.
Click the link to learn more.
Keep cold until using, and don’t leave out for more than an hour or two at the most. Once chilled and clean, eggs need to stay this way until they’re used.