Backyard Eggs: Collecting, Storing and Problems

Fresh backyard eggs are the whole point for most keepers, and they behave a little differently from the supermarket kind. A few simple habits keep them clean, safe and lasting, and the occasional odd egg is usually nothing to worry about.

Collecting and storing

Collect eggs daily, more often in hot weather, to keep them clean and stop hens pecking or going broody on a clutch. New Zealand Food Safety (part of MPI) advises keeping eggs in the fridge unless you are using them right away, and using clean eggs: wipe them with a paper towel so they are free from dirt, faecal matter and cracks. Use a dry towel rather than water, because a wet shell is more porous and lets surface bacteria inside.

• Put eggs in the fridge as soon as they come inside, covered in a carton or lidded container, and date each batch
• Throw out cracked or heavily soiled eggs, and wash your hands after handling eggs
• The float test shows an egg's age, not its safety: a fresh egg sinks and lies flat and an older one stands on end, but an egg that sinks can still carry bacteria

Source: New Zealand Food Safety (MPI), Food safety at home (checked 12 October 2026). More on storing a glut in Storing a Glut of Eggs.

Why hens stop laying

A drop in eggs is normal and usually has a simple cause. Laying is driven by daylight, so production falls through the short days of a New Zealand winter and picks up again in spring. Hens also stop to moult in autumn, putting their energy into new feathers, and pause when broody, stressed, underfed or unwell. Age matters too, since output declines after the first couple of years.

Reading odd eggs

Strange eggs are common and rarely serious. Soft or shell-less eggs usually mean a calcium shortage, so offer shell grit free choice. The odd double-yolker comes from a young hen's system finding its rhythm. A small blood or meat spot is harmless. Persistent thin shells, lash eggs or a hen straining to lay are worth watching and a vet visit if they continue.