Storing a Glut of Eggs
A backyard flock in full spring lay produces eggs faster than most households can eat them. Eggs can carry bacteria such as Salmonella on the shell or inside, even from healthy hens, so how you store them matters for safety as well as freshness. New Zealand Food Safety's advice is short and covers home-laid eggs as much as shop ones.
Keep eggs in the fridge
New Zealand Food Safety (part of MPI) advises keeping eggs in the fridge unless you are using them right away, with the fridge set between 2°C and 5°C, because most harmful germs cannot grow at low temperatures. Collect eggs daily, more often in hot weather, and put them in the fridge as soon as they come inside. Keep them covered in a carton or lidded container, write the collection date on it, and use the oldest first.
Wipe, do not wash
MPI's advice is to use 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 into the egg, and throw out any egg that is cracked or heavily soiled. Wash your hands after handling eggs.
The float test
To check the age of an older egg, lower it into a glass of water. A fresh egg sinks and lies on its side, and an older egg stands on end as the air cell inside grows. That makes it a useful age gauge for a batch that has lost its date, but it is not a safety check: an egg that sinks can still carry bacteria, so keep eggs in the fridge and cook them until the white is firm and the yolk begins to thicken.
- Keep eggs in the fridge, covered in a carton or lidded container
- Wipe dirty eggs with a dry paper towel and throw out cracked ones
- Mark the date on each batch and use the oldest first
Using a surplus
The fridge is the store New Zealand Food Safety's advice supports, so a big glut is best used up rather than banked: baking, quiches and frittatas take a lot of eggs, and neighbours rarely say no to a dozen. Selling eggs can bring food business rules, so check with MPI before you sell. MPI publishes no tested method for keeping raw eggs for months, such as waterglassing, so we do not recommend it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do fresh backyard eggs last?
New Zealand Food Safety does not give a keeping time for home-laid eggs. Its advice is to keep eggs in the fridge unless you are using them right away. Date each batch, use the oldest first, and follow the date on the carton for shop eggs.
Should I wash fresh eggs?
Wipe them rather than wash them. New Zealand Food Safety's advice is to use clean eggs, wiped with a paper towel so they are free from dirt, faecal matter and cracks. A wet shell is more porous and lets surface bacteria inside, and a cracked egg is best thrown out.
How does the egg float test work?
Lower an egg into water. A fresh one sinks and lies flat and an older one stands on end, because the air cell inside grows with age. It tells you roughly how old an egg is, not whether it is safe: an egg that sinks can still carry bacteria such as Salmonella.
Sources we checked (12 October 2026): New Zealand Food Safety (MPI), Food safety at home.