Dirty Eggs for Sale!?

[chickens4jojo]

What ways do you all have to clean your eggs for eating/selling? I really don't want anyone sick from my eggs if I give or sell them (or eat them myself!!)

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Most people only clean them when they absolutely have to because the eggs are covered in poo or mud. Dirt, you just simply wipe off. I've heard that cleaning removes the bloom and the eggs go bad much sooner, than they would had they not been washed.

If you are getting muddy or poo-covered eggs, than you have a nestbox issue. The occasional muddy egg isn't bad, it just means the hens are tracking it in from rainy days, but my hens are all clean-legged and I haven't the slightest problem with poo or mud, even on the stormiest of weeks.

If the eggs are visually clean(sometimes you have to pick off the occasional feather or piece of bedding, that's fine) then it's best not to wash them. I think as long as your hens are not pooping in the nestbox and the eggs are getting covered in poop, you do not need to worry about getting sick.

-Kim

 

[Reece Farms]

Dirty eggs in no way is a sign of somebody "too busy to have hens" Its just a natural process. Chickens are outdoor birds-that are meant to free range, and dig in mud, and eat worms and grubs and whatever they find. The eggs are going to get dirty occasionally-if you ask me its a sign that they are authentically "fresh" eggs.

 

[jdypat]

I apologize.. my usual harsh self.. judged like im judged.. I could not eat an egg that had poop on it. before or after cleaning . and i dont eat the shell either.. the egg white sticks to the shell and some of the germs would come off into the opened egg.
Probably the nurses training i had.. knowing how germs travel and how hard they are to kill.
In my youth, from child to grownup i had trouble eating eggs because of where they came from.. at least give me credit for being able to eat a clean egg. I dont like to wash them, this leaves them open to even more germs getting inside them and then of course i would not eat them.
Salmanella kills... and if the egg is undercooked.. (over easy) (sunny side up) the germs multiply to the billions. EColi is a killer. and where does e coli live? In poop.
I guess i just have too much time to think, and ive read too much. Ive seen country people just take a finger nail and flick it off and go on.. then i see that string of white as it falls from the shell edge and i see germs.. millions of germs getting into the food..
But you can be glad for me that at least now at 62 i can enjoy a smooth round and shinny beautiful egg with out planning on the pepto bismol for desert.
And my customers say that my eggs are the cleanest they have ever seen.
If I do have to wash one or two every now and then, I give them a guick rub with a little crisco oil on a wet cloth to try and seal them back again and i use them that same day. cant be too careful when salmanella and e coli are concerned.

I do apologize for the guick, glib remark..i did not mean it ugly.. i didnt one of those talking to a black hole out in the internet one can forget a person is out there listening.. jdy

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
Bill:

I agree with you. As a consumer I would be offended and appalled if I purchased eggs that were dirty. The whole "keep the bloom" is a moot point and overblown by those that continue to eschew egg washing.

If you are selling eggs, you should provide a clean, wholesome product. This means the eggs should be free of dirt and other visible contaminants.

Jim

 

[d.k]

*I was told not to use more than a damp cloth and water until just before cooking the eggs in order to avoid washing off the protein coating or "bloom". Our tap water is chlorinated, so I suppose that has some marginal disinfecting quality. . . . ??

 

[jdypat]

Dirty eggs suggest to me a person too busy to have hens.. Before I see dirty eggs I put a new layer of dried grass clipping in the nest or a layer of hay. About twice a month I remove it and replace it with a bit of hay or again, dried grass clippings.
My DH bought a lawn mower that mulches because I fussed about the "hayfield" he left when he didnt mow often enought, now Im "quietly" stressed because I dont have that bit of grass clippings to sprinkle in the nest, shh dont let it be known.
I am so thrilled each and every time I reach into those clean nest and find a clean smooth beautiful and perfect egg, I just cant bear letting them be soiled... just takes a minute.. jdy

 

[pixiechick]

I've read that you can use fine sand paper to get a particular spot clean.

 

[chickens4jojo]

Well, my eggs are not usually dirty as I try to keep their nest boxes very clean for them with fresh straw. Once in a while they get some smudges on them (usually after I have fed them some raisins the day before! LOL) But, I was just wondering about those invisible germs you can't see, I quess.

So... I believe all my eggs would be OK which is comforting because I love having & eating them...and giving some away, too!

They sure taste sooooooo much better than those store bought things I ate for most of my life until about 7 months ago!

And I just love my chickens.

Thanks for the helpful advice folks! This certainly is a super place to come to learn from.

 

[chickens4jojo]

jdypat,,,, Thanks for the advice about grass clippings~~I will use that idea!