Clean Coop=Clean Nest=Clean Eggs That Don't Need Washing

[Outta Here]

In my case, getting clean eggs from the nest boxes just isn't going to happen. Here in the UK it is very wet most of the year so clean chicken feet are unheard of.

Personally I have always washed my eggs (except for ones put aside for hatching) as they are generally consumed within a week.
If I hear of someone dying from an egg being washed then my view on the topic may change but in the meantime I will be continuing to wash every single egg, even if it is already visibly clean.

I feel like the title of this thread is a bit misleading.

Anyway, I've expressed my thoughts. End if story

Ok, I will change the title to :Clean Nests Make Washing Unnecessary or Optional

 

[Outta Here]

I m a w a r e. Any type of selling should follow sanitary guidelines though.

You actually don't have to wash nest run eggs to sell them, according to the Federal Code. Check with your individual state.

 

[Outta Here]

I'm just wondering how to train chickens to use all the nest boxes available? Mine decide on which one to lay in if there's already an egg in there or if one nest box is occupied by a broody muscovy (that you are trying your best to break). But, sometimes they don't care if it's occupied. They are going to squeeze in there.

View attachment 2860277

I only have 12 laying girls, so when my pullets started to lay, I would place them in the nests, a different nest each time. All the nests had wood eggs. If two tried to get into the nest, I would remove one. I know this is hands on, but all training, whether chickens, dogs, or kids, takes time and your shadow. Now my pullets will wait their turn if all the boxes are full.

 

[Outta Here]

You bet!
And I like clean for us too, why take unnecessary chances?
Mary

That's the whole point. The eggs from a clean nest ARE clean. There is also plenty of evidence that washing eggs in the kitchen sink allows poopy water to permeate the porous shell, which can be taking chances. In the factory, they clean and then put a thin layer of oil to simulate the coating the chicken provides as the egg is laid. But nature gave the fresh egg its own "plastic wrap" protection. With a fresh egg, the pores are sealed by the bloom to prevent contamination of the cloaca. It's nature's way, and I'll choose nature anytime!

p.s. Make sure you wash store bought eggs before eating. They have been cleaned with a chemical sanitizer and sprayed with mineral oil. Yuck.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I only have 12 laying girls, so when my pullets started to lay, I would place them in the nests, a different nest each time. All the nests had wood eggs. If two tried to get into the nest, I would remove one. I know this is hands on, but all training, whether chickens, dogs, or kids, takes time and your shadow. Now my pullets will wait their turn if all the boxes are full.

I only have 6 (5 hens and 1 pullet plus ducks) - definitely a bit more training than I would be willing to put the effort into with all the other things that needs to be done around here plus working a full time job - I have trained them to do other things though. It wouldn't work with the muscovy at all - they nest when and where they want to - but I know this post is about chickens.

I don't sell eggs. I do keep my coop and nests pretty clean. The run is kept clean enough as I clean up as much as possible every day. I don't wash my eggs except if it's really dirty. Because no matter what you do, there is always going to be that one time some hen has a messy bum and lays an egg. Or dirty feet and it goes into the nest box with them.
Pretty much the US makes washing of commercial eggs a must, but not so in other countries.
https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/eggs-meat/how-to-wash-fresh-eggs-its-safer-not-to/

 

[Outta Here]

I’ve always washed & refrigerated eggs. I don’t like the idea of letting my eggs sit out on the counter. Plus, I don’t use many eggs so refrigeration is usually needed at my house lol.

I only put the day's eggs in the basket on the counter or wood cookstove for decor! Then they go into the cartons in the fridge. My customers prefer that I don't wash them.

Fresh from the nest....

 

[rosemarythyme]

I rarely wash my eggs (but I also don't sell them). I do refrigerate (and have a shelf dedicated to eggs only) as I get too many eggs in spring/summer but then need to save up in the fall for winter. As long as birds aren't soiling the nests and there's some litter to help wipe poop/mud off their feet as they trek on in (my run is uncovered, and we can have weeks of rain), the eggs are reasonably clean enough that I don't see a need to wash them.

If an egg is filthy enough to need washing, I either wash it in warmer water and then put it at the front of the line, so it's eaten ASAP, or I just toss it. Or make a scramble for the dogs.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Muddy ducks, y'all. Nuff said.

 

[Lizzy733]

3 years, haven't washed my eggs... Don't refrigerate them and have had many keep for up to two months. Quasi-dirty eggs? Still ok on the inside. Never gotten food poisoning from my eggs, and I do regularly have eggs over easy, cracked raw into a soup etc...

The whole salmonella thing in the US is really overblown. As long as you're hygienic in the kitchen, it is a non-issue. They also recommend washing your hands after handling birds and reptiles because they give you salmonella too. Been keeping reptiles longer than I've been keeping chickens and I seriously haven't had a salmonella infection from any.

What will give you salmonella poisoning is fast food restaurants, which are notorious for their poor food hygiene.

Seriously, it's not hard to tell when you should be chucking an egg out, folks. Don't wash and refrigerate if you don't legally have to. They will last much longer that way.

 

[aart]

Washing eggs in the kitchen sink (as opposed to how the factories do it) can actually push the bacteria into the egg. The shell is not waterproof after prolonged exposure to liquid. soaked some eggs in colored water and found the color permeated to the interior.

Eggs should be washed in 'water warmer than the egg'.
Simple physics, using colder water will cause the egg contents to contract, causing any 'germs' on exterior surface of egg shell to be pulled into the interior of egg thru the shell pores. Using warmer water will do the opposite.

I seriously doubt that the coating pigment will permeate the interior, but then I've never soaked any eggs that long.

my home state of Arizona

I imagine if you lived where it rained and/or snowed you might have different techniques and outcomes.

Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!