I tend to respect "best by" dates on dairy products, except maybe not sour cream or unopened cream cheese. Other than that, I am fairly relaxed about it. We used to have chickens, and I miss the fresh eggs. But 6 or 7 years ago my husband and I realized he could no longer take care of them all winter. The coop was not easy to access in the snow, and extension cords had to be run for electricity out there, and water had to be carried in a bucket from the house. So we gave the hens away.
It's refreshing to see how many people disregard 'best by' dates. I thought I was a lone nutter.
After I lost a couple of my chucks to foxes last year I almost gave up chicken keeping, but I get so much joy from the little blighters I relented and bought more instead.