Dirty Duck Eggs

[weebles&wobblesmom]

My Pekin is laying her eggs either on the ground in the mudd or in a dog house that has straw in it but is still muddy from them bringing it in on their feet. The eggs get muddy. My question is, are they still good for eating? It's just mud but sometimes they are pretty dirty.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

A ok for eattng. You can use a stiff brush to remove dried mud, and wash them under running water before using.

 

[weebles&wobblesmom]

Ok Thank you. I thought they would be ok but I'm still pretty new to the whole chicken and duck thing and I hear and read different things about washing eggs. Some say dont wash, some say soak in bleach water and some say do NOT eat dirty eggs.

I would like to sell eggs, but I'm scared until I learn the right way to wash/clean them

Thank you again

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

There are commercially made egg washes available, we don't use them. Soaking in bleach sounds awful. I keep fresh clean hay in all the chicken nest boxes and we have wooden "frames" that sit on the floor in the duck houses we fill with fresh hay. This helps keep the eggs clean. One flock of ducks uses a poultry pod (plastic coop) and as long as I keep clean bedding they give me clean eggs.

 

[weebles&wobblesmom]

I'll have to have my husband build something on the floor for the duck. (I only have 1 female). My chicken eggs are usually pretty clean because I am able to keep clean bedding in the nesting boxes. Once in a while I get 1 that's got a little dirt from the hen's feet.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[tbitt]

My husband made nexting boxes in the back of the duck house. Most of our ducks use them, but I still have a few who lay right in the middle of the duck house. And those eggs are NASTY. I am not sure I really want to know what the heck they are doing to those poor eggs.

What are the suggestions about washing them?

We rince them completely (rubbing off the stuck on stuff with hand or cloth) then dry them and then put them in the refridgerator. We do not use soap to clean them. I have heard mixed things about washing.... Is what I am doing to clean them ok?

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

I am going through duck so quickly right now that they are washed as used. If I get a few ahead I will lightly wash, air dry and store in the frige. No soap, no major scrubbing. Just enough to remove major dirt. All my duck eggs today were dirty, time to change the hay out (hate using hay) but we can't cheaply get straw down here.

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Our duck eggs are ALWAYS dirty - it's just a matter of degree. I'm not worried about eating or selling them, I figure if a momma duck can hatch a clutch of muddy/poopy eggs, the shell and membranes are excellent protection for the contents.

The eggs are rinsed in very warm water (cold water draws bacteria inside), no soap or bleach - just rubbed with the thumb until the dirt is off, air dried, then into the fridge. I've hard cooked month-old duck eggs, and so far zero off-flavors or odors (knock on wood).

Bryan

 

[70%cocoa]

I don't wash them till right before using them, but my eggs are mostly laid in the nest and are clean. I think that if they are washed and then refrigerated right away there is no problem though. Bad stuff (eg. salmonella) can't grow or multiply if it's too cold (like in a properly cold fridge).

 

[Tivona]

The reason some say don't wash is that eggs have a natural coating that prevent most germs/bacteria from entering the egg. Washing will remove this coating. The reason some say wash is because they are dirty and germs can still get though particularly if the shell is defective or cracked.

So the options are: wash and except that you get a clean egg with less natural protection,
Don't wash and except that you will have dirty eggs but with more natural protection,
or wash right before using.

There have been lots of various tests determining how long washed versus unwashed eggs last but unless you keep your eggs more then 3 weeks it probably won't make any noticeable difference. Check here for suggestions on egg washing for the backyard flock.

Personally I wash (hot as you can stand water is usually recommended if you do wash), wipe with vinegar, then wipe with a paper-towel with a tiny bit of oil on it (just a teeny bit to help the shell not be to porous), then refrigerate. It works well for me but I know others are happy doing it other ways. I know that most agree on if you do refrigerate them then don't take them out and let them sit on the counter. By the way the sponges with the green scrubby side are awesome for cleaning eggs if they are really yucky like when some silly duck decides to lay in the middle of a mucky spot. Most say don't use soap or soak in bleach, some could be absorbed. If you do want to use something more then water then I suggest buying a product for the purpose such as some of these . Check/shop around though as the egg washes are available from various places.

If you can get your ducks laying in a nest box it really helps. Fake eggs left in the nest helps out. I found that lots of bedding seems to help keep the eggs clean, the box used, and prevent breakage. I do have an egg laid in the middle of the yard now and then though.