2 questions????

[muddler6]

First question, I have one bantam cochin girl that is not laying eggs, she is more than old enough, but for some reason has not started laying eggs. I have light in the coop a few hours extra each day, and the other girls are doing their part, so is there something I can do to encourage her to join in the fun?
Second question, do I need to wash eggs if I plan to sell any. I am planning on a flock of EE's and Buff Orpingtons for personal eggs but expect a surplus. I have seen commercial egg wash in the catalogs, but the literature I have read said not to wash eggs. What is the right thing to do (what do you all do with your eggs?)?

 

[okiechick57]

I am not sure bout what you could do to help along the laying thing....but I just wanted to say....I never wash mine........unless someone requests it .

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I sell my eggs from time to time and I do not wash them..... washing takes the bloom off the egg which helps keep bacteria from entering...

I've read where Cochins are slow to mature maybe thats whats keeping her from not laying yet...they are suppose to be good winter layers tho...

Some of my blue/black/splash orp pullets just started laying and they are 29 weeks old....

 

[muddler6]

Well I'll just keep the faith a little longer on the girl and hope she joins her sisters in the nest boxes soon enough. the other two are dropping an egg a day each, that gives us about what we normally use now. But the kids are young and don't eat as many, yet. And I feel more at ease now with the fact that others don't wash their eggs. I just don't want anyone to get sick from MY eggs. I thought of another question, for you Pennsylvanians. I live near a local flea market, and thought about selling the odd dozens of eggs, and the occassional cornishX when I raise a few extras to pay for the cost of feed and supplies. Will I need some kind of business liscense or permit? Of course I plan to do it legally and keep records and so forth.

 

[CovenantCreek]

A lot depends on how you're gonna sell your eggs. If you plan to sell them in a market you'll need to wash them (and follow all the rules your state requires for getting the permit to sell your eggs "commercially"). If you're just gonna put up a few signs or run a few ads, you may fit into your state's exemption for those who need a permit, in which case you don't have to follow all their rules.

I have some of the commercial egg wash, which I have used on some very soiled eggs, but it mostly isn't necessary -- and the usage instructions are something to the effect of 1 oz per gallon of water, which is hard to translate down to just 1 qt of water.

edited: I just saw your post about selling at flea markets -- you will need to go through the Dept of Ag, and possibly the Health Dept, to be able to sell "potentially hazardous foods" in a marketplace like that.

 

[muddler6]

Thank you to everyone with the suggestions and answers, I appreciate it. I planned to put a sign out where it is visible to those coming and going to the flea market. I keep thinking of questions though. I have one pullet that leaves brown streaks on her eggs. I assume it to be from her droppings getting on her feathers and smearing the eggs on their way out (although, I thought that it could be dried blood too). what is the best way to "clean" these eggs? I have just been discarding them. can I trim the feathers around her vent safely to prevent this from happening?

 

[Churkenduse]

I read that if you must wash your eggs for whatever reason you should rub them lightly with some oil for protection.

 

[CovenantCreek]

Quote:
food grade mineral oil

 

[muddler6]

When I said about selling eggs at the FLea Market, I will not actually be at the flea market, I live very close to it, close enough to see it from my house and I would hang a sign at the end of my drive way DURING the flea market but sell from home. Do I still need the permits? that might determine if I sell eggs or not. Depending on the cost of the permits, I don't plan on selling a lot, just what I have extra.

 

[Charlie Chicken]

I have been amused by the proliferation of egg washing topics posted recently.

A forum like this can contain a huge amount of advice and most of it is good advice from folks who have experienced one thing or another. What works for some may or may not work for others but it's still all good advice.

It's a shame that the theory that eggs should not be washed and the "bloom" should be left on the egg for protection has spread so widely because in this case it happens to not be very good advise.

Without going into the boring details, having a lifetime association with poultry that included 12 years as a USDA egg inspector I can safely say that unwashed egg shells will contain bacteria and that bacteria will spread to the interior of the egg, "bloom" or no bloom. Any egg shell that has been soiled with blood, chicken droppings, floor litter, chicken feet, fly specs or whatever should be washed with hot water. Commercial processors must also use a sanitizer but with a small home flock it isn't necessary.

Eggs that are washed with hot water will not have bacteria on them and can be safely kept in refrigerated storage for a month and beyond.

One thing we should all remember in this age of Internet use is that just because we might have read something somewhere does not mean that what we have read is true.

End of speech.