Abstract: The objective of this study was to characterize the effect of storage duration on microbiological and qualitative features of chicken eggs. Healthy eggs with the same batch were randomly selected from a large scale poultry farm and were stored under a simulated market retailing condition. During the storage process, the total bacterial count, total coliform count, and freshness indicators of the fresh eggs were determined once every two days. The experiment period lasted for twenty seven days. The results showed that the total bacterial count of the eggs was observed to be generally and gradually increased with the extension of storage duration; the total bacterial count of the eggshell was increased from 10^3 CFU per egg to 10^9 CFU per egg and that of the egg contents was increased from 0 CFU per egg to 10^5 CFU per egg; while the presence of the coliform was detected, the total coliform count did not exceed the nuisanceless egg standard recommended by Ministry of Agriculture of China. With prolongation of storage time, the egg weight and egg white was decreased, the air room height of the egg was increased, and the presence of scattered eggs was observed at the 12^th day of the storage experiment. These results indicate that the preservation period of fresh chicken eggs should not exceed 12 days.