I found a clutch of eggs that the hens had hidden under the lean-to of the shed. I knew that some of the eggs had been laid today, because the hens were locked out of the chicken coop and they couldn't get to the nestboxes. But some of them might be much older. Soooo I wanted to be sure they weren't bad... without cracking them open.

And as you know, the interwebz speaks to me whenz I googles it. Here's what I found out.

According to Harold McGee, author of On Food & Cooking (Canada, UK), Hannah Glass gave this practical advice to cooks around 1750, and it's as valid today — a "way to know a good egg, is to put the egg into a pan of cold water; the fresher the egg, the sooner is will fall to the bottom; if rotten, it will swim at the top."

A very fresh egg, placed in water, it will lie on the bottom. A week-old egg will lie on the bottom but bob slightly. An egg that is around three weeks old will balance on its small end, with the large end up. And a bad egg will float.

So now you know!