How long do you keep your eggs?

[VerySmallSqueak]

I'm wondering how long everyone keeps their eggs for,and under what conditions?
I keep mine in a basket on the side but in mid summer sometimes I have a glut and don't use them as fast as I do at this time of year.I know you can't mistake a rotten egg,but there must surely be a time where they are no longer good to eat,or at least not fresh enough,before they're fully rotten IYSWIM.Also,if you hard boil an egg,could you still tell if it was rotten?

I can't seem to get them to lay with a use by date printed on the side of the egg,but if I'm honest I feel a little lost without it!

I write the date on them with a pencil. My book says that they will keep for 3 weeks if they are stored pointy end down in a cool place (like a larder, it says they don't need to be refrigerated, but mine are in a basket on the worktop as I have no cupboard space). They do seem to be fine for this length of time, although if they are getting older I do the float test before I use them just to be sure.

I know I should know the float test,but I don't, Could you explain,please!

Mine are randomly in basket,not pointy end down.

I worry as well that I'll give some eggs away and give someone a rotten one because I've had it too long - which I would hate to do.

Basically, if an egg floats - don't eat it! Degrees of floatiness indicate freshness. They'll start flat at the bottom of the bowl and then start to tip up a bit as they get a bit older.

I seem to recall that if you're keeping eggs in the fridge then you can keep them happily up to 3 weeks, if not then 2 weeks. Most supermarket eggs are close to three weeks old when you get them apparently so I think it takes a while!

I date mine with a pencil too so I can eat them in the right order and if I give any away it means they know how old they are too.

I'm definitely going to start marking the date with a pencil,and do the float test now if I'm unsure.

Thanks!

Blackpudding, sound advice.

Writing date on eggs also good because they don't peel if you hard boil fresh ones.

LaBelle I didn't know that about fresh eggs!
And there's me getting all wound up when I do hard boiled eggs for the kids and they peel all moth eaten - I thought there was something wrong with them.
Given that I've had chickens for several years,you'd think I'd be a little more clued up on eggs

Tis true about eggs needing to be at least a week old, but I also find that my blue eggs (Aurucana) peel n=much worse than the brown ones. Read a tip about adding salt to the boiling water, but haven't tried it.

I use a date stamp and ink pad for mine! Just regular ink now altho I did start out with food grade ink but was a faff and no ones died yet from the ink! I also have an egg skelter so I know I'm using them in order they were laid

I just got an egg ramp similar to the egg skelter - holds fewer eggs bud takes up less space. Before that I had a system using an old egg box - fill from the right and use from the left, then move the eggs across