Bloom & water question

[sweetpumpkinfarm]

First time chicken Mama and we have our first eggs!!! I know not to wash them to preserve bloom & we are keeping them on kitchen counter as we only have 4 ladies & don’t anticipate a big backlog of eggs. That said today I picked one up (to admire it, oops, newbie in awe!) and realized my hands were wet from dishwashing. I could see where my fingerprints were—does that mean the bloom is gone & I shluld refrigerate? also your fav counter vs fridge rules & lengths welcome!

 

[nuthatched]

It just goes clear when wet.
You should refrigerate your eggs regardless, they'll last much longer.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I have done that before and still leave them out on the counter. I don’t bother keeping track of how long they have been on the counter, but we eat eggs daily, I bake my kid’s school lunch snacks and I make my own pasta weekly so we go through them fairly quickly. If an egg is contaminated with bacteria it grows very quickly and once cracked open you will smell it right away. I always crack my eggs into a clear bowl just in case so I don’t ruin whatever I am making. I haven’t had to deal with a bad egg with my chickens, but I remember the occasion or two growing up when my mom cracked a bad egg open and the whole house knew it.