Do I clean the eggs?

[chickenannie]

Quote:
No offense, but I don't agree with all of these... the whole reason I raise my own eggs is so that they DON'T get dipped in disinfectant water (#7). It's not necessary. These directions sound like they are for paranoid, germophobe, overregulated industry people. Fresh eggs (unwashed) stored in a refrigerator will keep up to 8 weeks.

If the egg is not dirty, don't wash it. If it has dirt or poo, you can wash it or sandpaper it off, but it won't keep quite as long. It's as simple as that for home use of fresh eggs. Also, keep your nest box clean -- it will help keep the eggs clean.

 

[Chicabee19]

Don't stack eggs to high- 5 layers deep is max. Greater risk of breakage

When I was in China I would go to the market and walk by huge piles of hundreds of eggs - stacked (I don't know how) in a big dome shape at least 3 feet tall. They were not in any container or held up by visible means except the stacking.​

 

[angels4]

I was told that if you wash the eggs it would remove the "bloom" (as many of you have stated) if the egg has any visible dirt or pooh it should be allowed to dry and then be brushed off with a dry brush. I have also been told that a coating of light vegatable oil will coat the egg and seal the egg shells porosity.

 

[tvtaber]

Wow this is such a big issue! I totally agree with chickenannie on this one. For commercial egg farms disinfecting may be a good idea but seriously, why would I do this at home?

To be honest, I don't have time to find a dry brush to wipe off poo or ensure my water is 105*. If they are really gross they go to the dogs, otherwise I wipe slightly or use if clean.

 

[chickenannie]

Plus, I can smell the disinfectant on storebought eggs -- it must be getting inside the egg too, I would think. Yuck! Give me fresh, clean, unwashed eggs every time. Of course I eat carrots and greens straight from my garden too -- just brush off any dirt specks and munch. Did you know that the most valuable thing you can do for your digestion system is put as much (beneficial) bacteria in it as possible (sauerkraut, kimchee, lacto-fermented foods, live yogurt cultures, etc). So there, germphobes!! Your gut is SUPPOSED to have bacteria living in it to help digest your food...