Do I wash my eggs/refrigerate OR NOT?????

[Nurs4jc]

Hello, I’m new to Backyard Chickens! I just bought a family’s chicken set up (they had to move) and I have some questions. Total I have 11 laying hens, 3 roosters, then 20 chick hens and 1 chick rooster (35 total : ) I find myself getting lost in whether it’s best to wash the eggs in warm water, then refrigerate. ON THE OTHER HAND, to not wash them (thus leaving the “bloom” on), and allowing them to sit out for up to 6 weeks, (is what I’ve read in some of the forums). WHAT do YOU do?

 

[friskebluegills]

I wash mine under cold water then refrigerate. If I'm incubating them, then that's different you don't wash them and you should keep them around 50-55 degrees. I've heard of people leaving them on the counter and sometimes you see cooking shows where they claim they bake better warm, but I don't know

 

[darkmatter]

I don't wash my eggs and they sit out on the counter, if they don't get used within a couple weeks I:

 

[sprawli]

I've heard that you should wash in warm water because cold water will cause them to pull bacteria in through the porous outer shell. We just started getting eggs, but so far we don't wash them until right before we use them, but still keep them refrigerated. We're still learning, though...

 

[Dora'smom]

Darkmatter---are those pickled eggs? Do you have a good recipe you wouldn't mind sharing?

 

[sekinkead]

Darkmatter - I would love the receipe as well.

Nurs4jc - as to your question. I have had my chickens for a year and I don't wash or refridgerate mine unless they are really dirty. If they are really dirty I wash them in warm water and then refridgerate. Otherwise they stay unwashed on my counter for up to 6 weeks. I have never had a problem with mine. I give them to my mom and aunt and they also leave them unwashed on the counter until they are ready to use them.

 

[matthewschickens]

This is a subject that has a lot of answers.

I wash them in cold or hot water and refridgerate

 

[MontanaMomma]

I'm not sure what I'm doing either, but no one has died yet. This system works well for us: I collect the eggs (five a day) and put them straight into a basket in the fridge. When the basket is full I clean the dirty ones under running cold water and put them in cartons then I put the cartons in the fridge. I sell my eggs, so I figure waiting to wash them buys me a few extra days they can wait in the fridge safely. This might not work for a bigger operation though...

 

[PunkinPeep]

I rarely ever wash any egg.

And i definitely sell them unwashed because tests have shown that unwashed, refrigerated eggs last the longest, and if my customers leave their eggs in the fridge for 6 months, i want them to still be good when they finally get used......though that length of time is very unlikely. My customers LOVE to eat my eggs.

If i have an egg that is really dirty, as in someone pooped on it, i set it aside for personal use, and i wash it in very warm water right before i crack it. The warm water causes the egg to expand, pushing bacteria out. The cold water causes the egg to contract, pulling bacteria in. I use water that is warmer than my egg. I read about one person soaking their eggs in hot water, and i would definitely not recommend this. As this person learned, i think, soaking in hot water begins cooking the eggs slightly. If i have an egg that is so dirty it must be washed, i don't sell it.

The very best protection you have for the inside of your egg is the natural bloom. Tests have confirmed that.

Also, it is true that unrefrigerated eggs are better for cooking. I leave my eggs in a basket on my counter. If i get more than the basket will hold, i rotate the older ones to an egg carton in the fridge to be sold, and i fill the basket with the newer eggs. This also allows me to choose eggs for incubating that have not been washed or refrigerated.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1977-11-01/Fresh-Eggs.aspx

Here is a great article you might enjoy reading.

**one last thing, i would say that if you're using your eggs within say, 2 weeks or so, it probably doesn't matter whether you wash them or not. that's just my personal opinion. it's the longer periods of time in which these things start to matter more.**