Do I clean the eggs?

[TubbyChicken]

We just got our first EGG!!!

...Now what do I do with it? LOL Am I supposed to wash it? Is it normal for your chicken to attack you when you try to retrieve the egg? What color eggs do golden comets lay?

 

[TubbyChicken]

...and does it need to go straight into the refrigerator?

 

[keljonma]

Congratulations on that first egg!

If the egg is clean, put it in the carton or bowl and refrigerate it. Do not wash it; you'll remove the bloom, which helps prevent bacteria from entering the egg. Eggs don't necessarily need to be refrigerated. If you sell your eggs, your state Dept of Ag may require you to refrigerate them. Refrigeration is the standard, in the US.

Some (not all) hens will attack you if you try to remove an egg while they are still in the nest box. If you wait until she jumps out of the nest box, you can get the egg without the pecking.

I've never had Golden Comets, but I would guess they are a brown egg layer. If a GC laid this first egg, it may be a bit lighter than she will lay as she gets older. Then during her 2nd year, the shells may get lighter again.

 

[tvtaber]

Ummm.. we generally cook them then eat them...

 

[chick4chicks]

Congrats on your first egg. Don't wash them. Wash them just before using them to preserve the bloom. Golden Comets lay brown eggs. Some of my GC are laying now.

 

[EngieKisses]

Congrats!!!! Not washing them took awhile for my husband to learn. But, hes a germaphobe.

 

[moody-chick]

What do u mean by( the bloom). and what happenes if it was washed?IVE NEVER HEARD ABOUT THAT BEFORE, SO IS THE EGG STILL GOOD TO EAT ? W efound it in the run, had dirt or poo on it so i washed it.did i do a big OOPS?

 

[wyliefarms]

We learned about washing eggs at a workshop this spring at Michigan State University.

This information is from the Virginia cooperate Extension.

1. Collect eggs in an easy to clean container, like coated wire baskets or plastic egg flats. (You can disinfect them and eggs won't stain)
2. Don't stack eggs to high- 5 layers deep is max. Greater risk of breakage.
3. Never cool eggs rapidly before they are cleaned. the egg shell will contract and pull any dirt or bacteria on the surface deep into the pores when cooled. try to keep the temp. relatively constant until they are washed.
4. Wash eggs as soon as you collect them. this helps to limit the opportunity of contamination and loss of interior quality.
5. Wash eggs with water 10 degrees warmer than the egg (105*) This will make the egg contents swell and push the dirt away from the pores of the egg. If you have extremely dirty eggs a mild detergent approved for washing eggs can be used. May use a soft bristle brush, but not cloth or paper towels. These will push dirt into pores.
6. Never let eggs sit in water. Once the temp equalizes the egg can absorb the contaminants out of the water.
7. Rinse the eggs with clean disinfectant water -105*
8. Cool and dry the eggs quickly after washing. Store eggs large end up at 50-55* and 75% relative humitity. If eggs sit at room temp they can drop as much as one grade per day.
9. If eggs are stored properly in their own carton(not stryofoam) they should hold their quality of grade A for at least 4 weeks.

Hope this helps

 

[digitS']

Quote:
The egg is more-or-less sealed naturally after it leaves the hen. Here's what Indiana State Extension says about "bloom:" "The outer coating of the shell itself consists of a mucous coating called the cuticle or bloom which is deposited on the shell just prior to lay.This protein like covering helps protect the interior contents of the egg from bacteria penetration through the shell."

just my 2 cents on the subject . . . If the egg isn't soiled, it may be best not to wash it. As for the egg you washed, if it wasn't washed properly, I think you should cook it right away or discard it.

I think of it this way: The egg is a living thing. After sufficient eggs accumulate in the nest, a process which will take a good number of days at outdoor temperatures, the wild chicken will incubate the eggs, at her body temperature, for 21 days. During that time the chick will develop within the egg. The inside of that egg hasn't "deteriorated" during all that time and never once was it washed.

My approach for eggs that require washing is to move the egg to a pan of boiling water almost immediately afterwards. It then shows up at the table as either a soft- or hard-boiled egg. Of course, if it is hard-boiled it can go into the fridge for a few days.

Washing poop off it isn't a bad thing; it's a good thing even if it is just to keep the poop out of the kitchen. Wyliefarms has the information on doing that. Here's the extension website but I believe the info is across the country at Coop Ext offices. A primary purpose for Cooperative Extension is the safe handling of foods.

Steve
edited to correct spelling

 

[carress]

I have followed the general advice I've read here
I only wash if there's visible grime on the egg.

I have found that keeping a thick layer of sawdust/wood shavings where the egg is laid helps keep it out of pre-existing poo. Collecting them soon after they're laid keeps the birds from pooing on top of them...