Commercial egg cleaners?

How do you clean your eggs? I try to only scrub them dry, I know you shouldn't disturb the bloom but some are pretty dirty. We are getting about 20 eggs a day, friends and family buy them and while we don't mind the dirty ones, I want to give clean ones. Had anyone tried those egg cleaning products from Tractor Supply? Any suggestions on cleaning? Thanks!!!

I don't clean them at all. I'll rinse them under the faucet when I'm about to cook them. The only people who will take my eggs are the people who understand fresh eggs. No matter what, those who don't won't eat them and I consider that their deficiency, not mine. The really, really poopy/muddy ones go in the dogs breakfast. They get scrambled eggs every morning. (Chicken food is cheaper than dog food.)

rachellou76 said:

How do you clean your eggs? I try to only scrub them dry, I know you shouldn't disturb the bloom but some are pretty dirty. We are getting about 20 eggs a day, friends and family buy them and while we don't mind the dirty ones, I want to give clean ones. Had anyone tried those egg cleaning products from Tractor Supply? Any suggestions on cleaning? Thanks!!!

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Have you identified the primary causes of the dirty eggs you are seeing? Are they hens actively eliminating in the nest boxes leaving noticeable piles of waste or are they tracking filth in in their feet due to a particularly mucky coop or run? Preventative steps can help to cut the amount of filth that ends up on the eggs to begin with.

We're trying to keep it clean but the poop has been freezing to the coop (it's been way below zero here) so we get out the best we can. My husband cleaned them all out really good last night and replaced the bedding. We are using pine shavings. Should we use straw or something else?

Also, some of the chickens don't lay in the nesting box.

rachellou76 said:

We're trying to keep it clean but the poop has been freezing to the coop (it's been way below zero here) so we get out the best we can. My husband cleaned them all out really good last night and replaced the bedding. We are using pine shavings. Should we use straw or something else?

Also, some of the chickens don't lay in the nesting box.

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In re-reading my post I do hope it didn't come across wrong - I had actually asked as I had noticed a period of filthy eggs and traced it back to the run having gotten muddy so all the girls had filthy feet and would climb all over the eggs that had already been laid when going in to leave their own contribution. I had already planned on re-working the run this spring anyway, but this definitely helped to cement my plans.
When I'm filling cartons to sell or give away I start by picking my cleanest eggs and am often able to fill them all that way - the dirty eggs stay with us and I just rinse them off before using them. If I have to package up a dirty egg to go out I start with dry wiping/scraping and then will use a damp cloth if needed. For me an egg washer would be a bit much because I'm not a fan of washing eggs in the first place. Our "customers" have never batted an eye about any of the eggs they have been presented with.

I rarely clean my eggs either.....keep the nest straw clean and the eggs stay pretty clean.
I guess I'm lucky in that my girls almost always lay in the nests.

Unless it's rainy out or it's snow melt season, then I get some dirty ones which I use myself instead of selling.
If it's muddy out I put some straw down at the entrance of the coop to help keep the muck out of the coop.

When I get a real dirty one I just rinse it under running water warmer than the egg and 'scrub' all surfaces of the egg with my hands/fingers, wipe or air dry, then refrigerate.

Most commercial cleaners are a just a sanitant and swishing or dipping the eggs in them is not necessarily going to get them clean.
It's kind of like those hand sanitants, more psychological than logical.
'Mechanical' cleaning the debris off the egg makes more sense me.

Ok, thanks! That's what I did with a few, wash with my hands under warm water then air dry.

My run has been pretty muddy lately. I don't think it will get better until summer, unfortunately. I may try straw instead of shavings. They tend to just push the shavings out of the coop/nesting boxes.

aart said:

I rarely clean my eggs either.....keep the nest straw clean and the eggs stay pretty clean.
I guess I'm lucky in that my girls almost always lay in the nests.

Unless it's rainy out or it's snow melt season, then I get some dirty ones which I use myself instead of selling.
If it's muddy out I put some straw down at the entrance of the coop to help keep the muck out of the coop.

When I get a real dirty one I just rinse it under running water warmer than the egg and 'scrub' all surfaces of the egg with my hands/fingers, wipe or air dry, then refrigerate.

Most commercial cleaners are a just a sanitant and swishing or dipping the eggs in them is not necessarily going to get them clean.
It's kind of like those hand sanitants, more psychological than logical.
'Mechanical' cleaning the debris off the egg makes more sense me.

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Same here.

A washed egg is essentially the same as a store bought one in the US, only fresher.

Always refrigerate after washing.