Thinking about the nature of an egg and what it was designed to do, they are actually amazing! An egg is designed to protect and nourish a baby chick, duckling, etc. so that when it is hatched, it's well-equipped to continue to survive and grow. 

The gestational period of a chicken is roughly 21 days, meaning that if an egg is fertilized (ours are not since we don't have any roosters) and is laid on by a hen or incubated, it should hatch a cute tiny chick at the end of that time period. 

The yolk is what mostly nourishes the baby chick during that time and the white protects the yolk, but also provides additional nutrition for the growing embryo. Membranes and the outer most layer, the hard shell, provide even more protection for the egg.

In addition, did you know that when an egg is laid, there is also a protective "bloom" on the shell that essentially seals the pores in the eggshell so that bacteria can't get in and reduces moisture loss from the egg? As long as that bloom isn't removed either by scrubbing or washing, it helps an egg stay fresh even longer. 

It's amazing all the different ways an egg is protected naturally!

So this brings me to the water float test. Long story short:

• If an egg sinks the whole way to the bottom, it's super fresh

• If an egg sinks but sort of bobs a little, it's not as fresh, but still completely fine to eat (these are great for hard boiled eggs!)

• If an egg floats the whole way to the top, it's bad! Throw it out!

Don't try and crack an egg that you think may be bad (or at least go outside!), it will make your house smell AWFUL for hours! I learned that the hard way....The only time we ever had a bad egg, I decided it was a good idea to crack it in the house. I was just so curious as to what it would look like on the inside......BAD IDEA!

When you crack a fresh egg, it should really smell like nothing. If it smells rotten, sour or unpleasant, even if it didn’t float, throw it out. But again, this has only happened once to us over the two years we’ve been farming. As long as you’re getting your eggs from a trusted source who you know raises healthy chickens (meaning they lay eggs with strong & protective shells!) and the eggs are fresh, you shouldn’t ever have to experience a bad egg :)

Here's the video walking you through how to do this water float test. Enjoy!

Comment below if you've ever smelled a rotten egg (I'm so sorry if you have!) or if you already knew how to do this!