To wash or not to wash eggs? That is the ?

[ElleMc]

I give my eggs to an older woman. When I first gave them to her, I asked if she wanted me to wash them. She said no. Her parents raised chickens so she always washes her eggs before she cooks them. She's from England and keeps her eggs in a basket on the counter.

 

[mommissan]

Based on the comments here, I'm going to risk being called gross. I box up the pristine eggs and mark them "Natural" for my customers. They can sit on a counter for up to three weeks and I recommend a gentle rinse under warm water just before cooking. ALL the other eggs get soaked and washed in a sink full of hot water. Those that wash up perfectly clean get boxed and marked as "Washed" with recommendations to refrigerate.

Now, the nasty ones literally coated with poo, mud or the dried slime from another decimated thin shelled egg or even worse, found in litter somewhere on the coop floor, are held for personal consumption. It rains and mud happens and they come out of the same hole as poop; it's inevitable. Many of those washed sub-par eggs may even sit in a basket on the counter at room temp, for as many as 3-4 days. Yes, we have cracked open one or two that were very scary, and I had one that even had some pressure building within the membrane. However, nearly all of those eggs are fine to eat. We cook them thoroughly in various recipes, i.e. quiches, omelets, scrambles.... They're still as delicious as any other.

Everybody has their own level of risks they are willing to take. I hate tossing anything remotely edible. Just sharing what my experiences are. Curious if anyone else is as "gross" as myself....

 

[Folly's place]

I wash and refrigerate all my eggs, except for eggs intended for hatching. Really dirty eggs get thrown out too.
Microbiology classes ruined me forever; refrigeration is a wonderful thing!
Mary

 

[b. evans]

Hi, I have not posted for years. Chickens will not become egg eaters. If the shells are thin and their weight breaks an egg, they will eat it. People around the world do not refrigerate eggs. They will keep for many weeks. If you doubt it, mark one with a date and check it 5 weeks later unrefrigerated. you will find that the yolk gets very flat and some of the white (avery small amount) will have evaporated, but still edible! when an egg is too dirty simply wash it in water that is 40 degrees hotter than the egg with a green scratchy. What happens is that though you have washed off the "bloom" the hot water seals the egg on the inside by actually cooking a 1 or 2 cell layer thickness of egg. It doesn't need to be refrigerated, but most people do. The only time any of my eggs were ever questionable was when I forgot some in my car in the Texas heat and being fertile they began to germinate. That dozen eggs all had a little blood spot that was the beginning of a chick but they were perfectly edible, I ate them all.

 

[Kes]

I refrigerate mine right away just because it's easier. My basement has an otherwise unused mini kitchen in it so eggs that have any smears on them get a quick rinse in the sink and are immediately stored in the basement refrigerator. Most of the time though they're really clean or just have a piece of bedding stuck to them, so I just refrigerate them as-is and let people know that they should rinse them before using.

Any that are "ugly" I keep for myself. My EEs seem really sensitive to calcium so if the egg has a lot of calcium deposits on it or is misshapen at all, I'll eat it since it usually makes the shell thin in some areas and I don't want people to feel uncertain about them.

Store-bought eggs are old and usually have tons of micro/hairline cracks in them, especially the larger sizes. Your eggs could be caked in poop when you gather them and a quick wash will probably still make them cleaner than any at the supermarket.
I would just remember that excessive poop on the eggs can sometimes mean worms or a nesting box that needs cleaned.

 

[Ducksandchickens]

I don’t wash unless absolutely disgusting

 

[Fiasco]

When an egg is too dirty simply wash it in water that is 40 degrees hotter than the egg with a green scratchy. What happens is that though you have washed off the "bloom" the hot water seals the egg on the inside by actually cooking a 1 or 2 cell layer thickness of egg. It doesn't need to be refrigerated, but most people do.

Wow, that's a very interesting idea! How do you know that this works, have you tested it? I wonder if anyone else on here has tried this? I'd love to here more about this technique!

 

[fdrhoads]

sometimes my eggs are disgusting. poop and sometimes broken egg so yolk and hay from nesting boxes stuck on them. I read not to wash eggs because they have film on them which helps keep out bacteria. I throw them away when they get dirty because I give them to neighbors but don't feel comfortable handing them something that looks so bad. Also some of my neighbors are English and keep eggs on the counter (not refrigerated). Any advice?

I dont clean my eggs unless they are dirty , if they are I wash the soiled ones with warm water and dry them, I always store them in the refrigerator . I never feed my hen back their eggs.

 

[Jpiggle1]

I have feed raw eggs back to the flock, it does not cause egg eaters. I have never had an egg eater, unless there was a broken egg, then they will certainly clean it up.
I do not wash the eggs, they set on the counter at room temp, I may get the wild idea to hatch some,,,,

please when you say you feed them back do you put the raw egg out in a cup for them ? how do you feed it?

 

[karissapaul]

you should not have to wash your eggs. chickens take great care with their eggs. if they are pooping on the eggs then they probably have worms. and the treatment for that is simple. you should do this to your chickens once a month. give them diatomaceous earth in their coop and in their food