Cleaning and storing fresh eggs

My two new Sexlink hens Peeka & Boo are producing 2 huge eggs a day. I was just wondering how to best store them and it was answered in this article. One question what should I do with frozen eggs that crack?

I feel like this article is incomplete in explaining WHY you should or shouldn’t refrigerate/wash eggs. No one has mentioned the antimicrobial ‘bloom’ that covers the egg and is WHY they CAN go without refrigeration. I researched this many years ago when I first began keeping chickens and my findings were that we are the only country that washes and refrigerates eggs. First off, if you wash - you refrigerate because you are washing off the bloom and oxygen can get in and they will spoil. Second, from what I learned, the reason, that started decades ago, for this practice is a fear of salmonella however it is only fear. No rash of cases were ever reported to be from unrefrigerated eggs. I personally have the belief from doing taste tests that a refrigerated egg has less flavor in that the cold and no more bloom leaches it out. I have been keeping chickens for over 10 years and I keep my eggs in a basket lined with hay on my kitchen counter. When I start to get more than I can keep track of I put them in cartons marking which are older. Also there is the all important FLOAT TEST. If ever in doubt on the freshness of an egg simply fill a cup (I use a 2c Pyrex measuring cup) of tap water and place the egg inside. If it lays down it’s still fresh. If it stands on end eat soon. If it floats the bloom has worn off and it either is a treat in my Girls (hens) salad that day or my dogs get it.

I’m not an expert nor a scientist, although I do LOVE science experiments like float tests. I’m just a chicken keeper and a gardener sharing information I’ve found through the years and this is my opinion based on those findings and my experience. I believe that eggs are perfect right out of the box. Nature knows what she’s doing. Enjoy!!!

I enjoyed reading this information
I have only 8 hens they are ISA Browns and are prolific layers. I water glass my extra fresh UNWASHED eggs. I currently have three 5 gallon covered buckets of clean unwashed eggs in the waterglassing solution and I am now using the water glassed eggs collected in March of last year. This is an old method of safe egg storage that was common especially in the rural areas even til now. There is a YouTube video called the HOMESTEADING family that explains the process very well to safely water glass your eggs. I always do a "float test" before using the eggs and rinse well before using. I have stored fresh UNWASHED eggs this way for up to 18 months with no change in the yolk or albumin or flavor. And done so for 20+years. I have never had a food born illness from this method. The recipie has to be followed each time and will ONLY work with fresh unwashed eggs.
Just another way to avoid waste and enjoy YOUR hens fresh eggs.
Anita

Thanks for this essay. Very helpful! I learned a lot.

Thank y'all for sharing these articles! We are planning on getting chickens soon(going to try again), and I am finding these articles very helpful!

Thanks for sharing!

Great article. Thanks for the information!

Great information!

Great article, I’m so proud of my girls they haven’t stopped laying not even during the winter. I love them and am thankful for them

There is a lot of good info in this article. There are so many different ways to store eggs

Good source for washing eggs

Very useful information!

1) Some of my more annoying relatives steal my eggs every time they visit, but don't want the "poopy" eggs. I tell my hens to keep those feet dirty .

2) A dirty egg reminds me of getting the freshest produce out of my garden. I mistrust overly shiny produce! Why would you want a sterilized egg?

3) Commercial American eggs have to be refrigerated because they've been pasteurized. They had to be pasteurized because hens that are treated poorly are much more likely to have Salmonella. The system created a terrible problem, and had to use a terrible solution to fix it. My hens are happy and healthy so my eggs are happy and healthy!

4) Oversterilization is bad for your immune system!

I did know about the bloom, I never wash my eggs. I do dust them off on occasion. Family getting free eggs get the second “freshest” ones. I suppose if I was selling them I would keep the clean ones for people giving me money.

what I didn’t know was just how long they are OK not in a cold storage or how long they are good for IN cold storage. So that’s Cool ! Thanks for the information. I love this forum!

I will share it!

Excellent information. Thank you for sharing with all of us. You did a lot of research and it shows as well as one can tell you most likely have a lot of experience raising chickens and handling eggs.

well written and easy to understand

So much information I did not know about egg storage, fresh eggs, and how old store bought eggs could be. Thank you for taking the time to present this information. I love the FIFO egg contraption. Think I'll have to get one.

Washing eggs in warm water instead of cold is a great tip that many people wouldn’t think of.

I learned something new! As I'm waiting on egg-layers to lay their first eggs, I'm trying to learn all I can about storing them since all I've ever done is buy my eggs from the grocery store. My brain has a hard time wrapping around storage on the counter rather than in the fridge but this eases a lot of those fears and explains the reasons behind the choices and/or when to choose fridge over counter! Thanks for the help!