What to Do With Too Many Eggs From Your Hens
Swimming in eggs? Freeze, pickle, water glass, sell, share, or feed them back to your flock. Here are the best ways to use up a backyard egg surplus before it spoils.
When your hens give you more eggs than you can eat, the best options are to freeze them beaten out of the shell, preserve them by pickling or water glassing, share or sell them in dated cartons, and feed cooked extras back to your flock. A spring laying glut is one of the happiest problems in backyard chicken keeping, and with a little planning you can make sure not a single egg goes to waste. Here is how to handle an overflowing basket.
Surplus Egg Gear
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Stock cartons to give away, sell, or store your spring surplus.
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Batch hard-boil eggs for pickling, snacks, or feeding back to the flock.
Utopia Home Utopia Home Egg Container for Fridge
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Keep your overflow organized and rotating oldest-first in the fridge.
LINCOUNTRY LINCOUNTRY Wire Egg Gathering Basket
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Carry a big daily haul from coop to kitchen without cracks.
Why you suddenly have too many
Laying is driven largely by daylight. As the days lengthen through spring, hens ramp up and often peak in late spring and early summer, which is exactly when backyard keepers find themselves drowning in eggs. Production naturally tapers as days shorten in fall and during the annual molt. Knowing the surge is coming lets you stock up on cartons and freezer supplies before the flood arrives.
Freeze the overflow
Freezing is the simplest way to bank a large surplus for months. The rules are easy:
- Never freeze eggs in the shell, because the contents expand and crack it.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and gently beat the yolks and whites together.
- Add a pinch of salt for savory use or sugar for baking to keep the texture smooth.
- Freeze in an ice cube tray, then pop the cubes into a labeled freezer bag, or use a container.
Frozen beaten eggs keep up to a year and are perfect for scrambling and baking. Thaw them in the fridge before using.
Preserve the old-fashioned ways
Pickled eggs
Hard boil a batch, peel, and submerge in a seasoned vinegar brine in the fridge. Pickled eggs make a tangy, protein-rich snack and keep for several weeks refrigerated. A rapid egg cooker makes batch boiling fast and gives you easy-to-peel eggs.
Water glassing
For long-term ambient storage, water glassing submerges clean, unwashed eggs in a solution of food-grade pickling lime and water. The lime seals the shell pores, and eggs can keep for many months in a cool spot. This only works with fresh, uncracked, unwashed eggs that still have their bloom. Use water-glassed eggs for cooking and baking rather than raw dishes.
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Share and sell
Surplus eggs make wonderful gifts for neighbors, coworkers, and friends. Give them in clean, dated cartons and mention whether they are washed or unwashed so the recipient knows whether to refrigerate. Many keepers also sell extras from a farm gate or roadside stand. Rules vary widely by state and locality, so check your state department of agriculture and local egg or cottage food laws before selling. Always sell clean, fresh, properly stored eggs, and keep a stack of cartons on hand for both giving and selling.
Feed eggs back to your flock
Cooked eggs are a healthy, protein-rich treat for chickens and a smart use for cracked or surplus eggs. Scramble or hard boil them first, and feed crushed dry shells back as a calcium supplement. One important caution: never feed raw eggs in the shell, because it can teach hens to recognize and eat their own eggs, which is a frustrating habit to break once it takes hold.
Cook through the surplus
Finally, lean into egg-heavy recipes while the laying is good. Quiches, frittatas, custards, meringues, egg noodles, and big batches of breakfast burritos to freeze all burn through eggs fast. Pair smart cooking with freezing and sharing, date every carton, use the oldest first, and your spring glut becomes a year-round supply rather than a pile of eggs racing the clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to preserve a surplus of eggs?
Freezing is the easiest long-term method. Never freeze eggs in the shell, since the contents expand and crack it. Crack the eggs, gently beat the yolks and whites together, and freeze in an ice cube tray or container. Add a pinch of salt for savory use or sugar for baking. Frozen beaten eggs keep up to a year. Other options include pickling hard-boiled eggs or, for the dedicated, water glassing unwashed eggs in a lime solution.
Can I sell my extra backyard eggs?
In most areas you can sell surplus eggs directly from your home, often called a farm gate or roadside sale, but rules vary widely by state and locality. Many places allow small-scale sales of unwashed or washed eggs with basic labeling, while larger operations need licensing and refrigeration standards. Check your state department of agriculture and local cottage food or egg laws before selling, and always sell clean, fresh, properly stored eggs.
How long can I keep eggs before they go bad?
Unwashed eggs with their bloom keep about two to three weeks on a cool counter, and refrigerated eggs commonly last three to five weeks or longer. Frozen beaten eggs keep up to a year. Date every carton and use the oldest first, and run a float test on anything you are unsure about: a fresh egg sinks, an older one stands upright, and a bad one floats and should be tossed.
What is water glassing and is it safe?
Water glassing is a traditional method of preserving clean, unwashed eggs by submerging them in a solution of food-grade pickling lime and water. The lime seals the shell pores, and eggs can keep for many months at cool room temperature. It only works with unwashed eggs that still have their bloom, and the eggs must be fresh and uncracked. Use water-glassed eggs for baking and cooking rather than raw applications.
Can I give eggs back to my chickens?
Yes, cooked eggs are a healthy, protein-rich treat for your flock and a good use for a surplus or for cracked eggs. Scramble or hard boil them first and crush the shells, or feed crushed dry shells as a calcium boost. Never feed raw eggs in the shell, because it can teach hens to recognize and eat their own eggs, which is a hard habit to break once it starts.
How do I share eggs without them spoiling for the recipient?
Give eggs in clean, dated cartons and let people know whether they are washed or unwashed. Unwashed eggs can sit on the counter for a couple of weeks, while washed eggs should go straight in the fridge. A quick note with the collection date and a reminder about the float test helps the recipient use them at their best. Egg cartons are cheap, so keep a stack on hand for giving away your overflow.
Why do my hens lay so many eggs in spring?
Laying is driven largely by daylight. As days lengthen in spring, hens ramp up production, often peaking in late spring and early summer. This natural surge is why backyard keepers suddenly find themselves swimming in eggs. Production tapers as days shorten in fall and during molt. Planning ahead for the spring glut, with cartons, freezing supplies, and a list of recipients, turns a happy problem into an easy one.
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