Wondering how to store farm-fresh chicken eggs?
When properly stored, chicken eggs can last up to three months in the fridge! While it is recommended to eat farm-fresh chicken eggs within two weeks, they can last quite a bit longer with the proper care and temperature!
Looking at the health benefits of fresh eggs from chickens who were allowed to run free range, foraging for bugs and grass, running to their hearts content, far outweighs any commercial chicken operation.
Why choose farm fresh?
When looking at the health benefits of fresh eggs from chickens who were allowed to run and graze in a pasture to their hearts content, far outweighs any commercial chicken operation.
Often on larger scale chicken farms, the birds are confined to small cages and fed a diet heavy in grains, which is not optimal for their health.
Grain feeding tends to help the chickens put on weight quickly, but can often leave them malnourished and missing out on a natural lifestyle, in which they would be able to move, soak up vitamin D, and forage for bugs and grass.
How can I tell if one egg is better than another?
A true sign of a chicken’s egg health is the color of the yolk. A pale, yellow yolk means the chicken might be missing vital nutrients or the chicken may even be depressed based on their living spaces. A vibrant, deeper orange colored yolk means the chicken is fully nourished, and is usually a more active bird.
Egg health tends to extend to the eggshell as well. Commercial chicken eggs tend to have a thinner shell, while farm-fresh chicken eggs tend to have a thicker shell. This is because of their calcium rich shell, which we help foster with supplements. We do this by feeding the chickens with a small amount of oyster shell, or even feeding the chicken’s eggshells back to them
Another visible sign of good health in a chicken is the feather color. If the feathers are full, vibrant and almost have a shine to them-your chicken is getting great nutrition and most importantly, they are probably pretty happy!
A quick note about feathers and molting…
Keep in mind that chickens do molt, so if your bird is in a stage of molting, their feathers will temporarily change in color and texture as they are shedding and growing new feathers. This does not mean they are malnourished, this is a natural process and, as long as they are being well taken care of, will resolve in a timely manner.
Chickens tend to molt around fall, when daylight begins to decrease. They do this to prepare for winter by shedding their summer coat to put on heavier feathers in anticipation for the cold.
Again, molting is a natural process, so do not fret about the birds losing feathers around Thanksgiving! I promise they are not scared about being the Thanksgiving feast! (This is true for egg laying chickens, at least!)
Sunny, our Buff Orpington pictured below, is definitely the most curious of the bunch and serves as the pack leader. All chickens tend to develop their own personalities and their pecking order fairly early on. They are very entertaining to watch, as they sometimes possess human-like qualities… like staring!
Steps you can take to improve chicken livelihood
It becomes a win-win situation when you get to support healthy, happy chickens. You can do this by finding a local farmer in your area where you can see for yourself how the chickens are treated, how much grass and pasture space they get, how healthy and vibrant their feathers look, and most importantly, how the eggs taste. By purchasing from a local farmer, you can also benefit your local economy.
If you can, consider raising your own flock to know for yourself exactly how your birds are being treated, what they are being fed, if they are grass-grazing, and even how much interaction they are getting!
I do highly recommend getting a flock of your own. Getting chickens certainly changed my life and how I respect the whole animal life cycle. From the intricate egg cycle, to how the egg can be a healing, nourishing food for myself and my family.
How to collect and clean farm fresh chicken eggs
The first step here is pretty simple. Gear up and get the eggs.
I usually bring along a basket, rubber boots (coop boots), and a snack for the ladies.
It is always a good idea to bring down some chicken-safe kitchen scraps for them to feast on. This encourages a healthy chicken, and encourages them while growing the relationship between you and your birds!
Some of my flock’s favorites are grape tomatoes that are a touch past their prime, watermelon rinds, and corn on the cob, or even sweet corn kernels from a can.
Approaching the coop and the nesting boxes
Let yourself into the coop as you normally would. Be sure to greet all your lady birds!
Look into the nesting boxes to see if any lady bird is currently using a nesting box to lay.
Chickens like to be alone when they lay, and can get a little upset if you interrupt them in this process.
Because of this, I like to gather the eggs and clean the coop at the end of the day, before putting them to bed. This makes it easier to do everything in one group, and works with the chicken’s schedule since they tend to lay earlier in the day.
Once you see the eggs without a chicken in the nesting box, feel free to grab the eggs and gently place them into your basket.
Now, to the kitchen to wash and clean the eggs!
Washing the chicken eggs
Once back inside, place the eggs into a sink with no dishes in it. You don’t want to wash off the natural flora onto anything you’re going to eat with.
Now you have options. You can either wash the eggs completely clean, or keep the natural flora on them. The only benefit to keeping the flora on the eggs is to preserve them slightly longer. You will still need to wash the eggs before you break any of them open to consume them.
When eggs are washed, place them into a clean bowl and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 months.
With unwashed eggs that still have the natural flora, you can place them into a clean bowl, covered with plastic wrap to avoid loose particles and dirt from permeating your fridge, and keep them in the fridge for just over 3 months.
We prefer to just wash the eggs immediately, and we tend to consume them within 2-3 weeks.
To wash eggs, do not use any soap. Use a wet sponge specifically for egg washing to get rid of any dirt, poop, or feathers that are still left on the eggs.
Turn your water on to a lukewarm temperature and run the eggs under the water until no visible dirt, poop, or feathers are present.
You may need to lightly scrub with the sponge to encourage removal of dirt and debris.
Once all eggs are clean, either air dry them, or use a drying towel to lightly dry the eggs. Do not use this drying rag for drying any new dishes to avoid any contamination of the drying towel.
Storing the farm-fresh eggs
For storing the eggs, you can use any vessel of your choice.
We have used a large mixing bowl in the past, which we seem to end up using more when eggs are coming out of our ears in the spring. However, right now we are really loving these ceramic “berry bowls”.
They hold about 10 eggs each, which is typically what we can go through in a few days.
Whatever vessel you use, be sure to set your clean, dry eggs into the vessel and place into the fridge as soon as you can, if you are looking to maximize storage.
The quick reference for egg storage
Farm-fresh eggs are washed, you can place them into a clean bowl and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Farm-fresh eggs are not washed and still have the natural flora, you can place them into a clean bowl, covered with plastic wrap to avoid loose particles and dirt from permeating your fridge, and keep them in the fridge for just over 3 months.
You can keep eggs at room temperature, unwashed, on your counter for 2-4 weeks.
Once eggs have been washed, refrigerate as soon as you possibly can.
Knowledge is power!
Congrats on making it to the bottom of this post!
I hope you leave this post feeling more knowledgeable about egg preservation, as well as how to gauge the health of the chickens whose eggs you are consuming.
Being a conscious consumer is always a good idea, no matter what it is.
I also hope I have inspired you to get a flock of your own if you have the ability to, or at least to support your local farmer. Both of these actions are setting you, and your community, up for success!
Now, go scramble, boil, or fry up some eggs! They would pair wonderfully with some of my Homemade Icelandic Style Skyr Yogurt!
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