Eating raw eggs...

[itsalladream]

Hey guys, this is my first topic, and I'm not exactly sure where to post it, but this looks like as good of a place as any...

So, I spent 3 years in Japan, and also got married there. In Japan, it is quite common to eat raw eggs in certain dishes. Sometimes used to dip foods in, sometimes poured over certain rice dishes. The eggs eaten raw, not given time to be cooked by the hot rice, but immediately.

We are planning on having a small backyard flock, and one question that both my wife and I have is would you feel comfortable eating your eggs raw? Like I said, in Japan this is common. The eggs bought in the supermarket that are nice and rich, and as many know, not refrigerated. This isn't the only reason we want our own flock, but we would love to have our own supply of eggs that we know are fresh.

Any input would be appreciated. And if the idea of eating eggs raw bothers you, just ask me some of the other things that I a raw while living there.

 

[Mahonri]

My opinion only.

BUT, if your flock is 'rat' and 'mouse' free and free from wild birds (no contact with any of those), I would say you are safe. Otherwise, I'd make certain they are cooked well. To many chances for salmonella if wild birds or rodents have access to your coop and birds.

 

[itsalladream]

Ok, another thing I read. I saw a statistic that said 1 in 20,000 eggs will have salmonella. Do all birds carry it, and it only occurs occasionally, or is it something that must be caught?

I've never seen a rat or mouse around here. My neighbor has a few cats that hang around (and our chickens will be enclosed), so they may be keeping the rat and mouse population down.

 

[mama24]

My MIL sent me a link to a video made by the daughter in law of a microbiology professor or something like that talking about how he raises backyard chickens b/c there is almost no chance of them having salmonella. He was interviewed saying that the salmonella in eggs is caused by chickens being in cages, free range chickens won't have salmonella. I haven't taken the time too look up references, but it makes sense to me. I would be ok with it.

 

[silkieroo]

Also unless there are complecations salmonella really is not that bad of a sickness I'd say go ahead just know your taking a risk.

But just my two cents,
Maddie

P.s. What do raw eggs taste like?... Just wondering!

 

[mama24]

I just looked it up. According to research done by the USDA (the only place that appears to have done any real research), there is an equal chance of a free range bird having salmonella as a caged bird. BUT a flaw in that research that I can see is that you can have 100 birds crammed together in a small building and call them cage free or free range, as long as they aren't in individual cages. So the crammed dirty conditions are still there. Also, salmonella poisoning from eggs is caused by poop from an infected bird getting on the egg. If you wash the eggs, refrigerate them, and use them within a couple days of their being laid, there is almost no chance of salmonella getting into the egg. Commercial grocery store eggs can be quite old before they're sold in stores, so there is a much greater risk there.

 

[newlyweds]

I eat runny yolks eggs almost everyday, never been sick. Also one of my most favorite recipes for homemade ice cream has 4 raw eggs in it, and it's absolutely delicious. I worry much less about my eggs than store bought.

 

[itsalladream]

Quote:
Hmmm...what do they taste like...that's a tough one. The flavor mainly lies in the yolk. I don't think it is really strong because it is eaten with other things, and one egg would pretty much be used over the whole plate or bowl. Whenever I eat a fried egg, I save the yellow and eat it whole by itself, so eating a raw egg with a dish isn't that noticeable, but as with any garnish, it adds its own flavor.

Now, raw liver, that's another story. It actually tastes better than cooked liver. And while I've never had it cooked, raw horse is pretty good, kinda like, raw beef, which is yummy.

BTW, thanks for the input!

 

[TheMainException]

Quote:
USDA does crappy research. The eggs that have been tested are all mass produced eggs (in general, although there may be some small studies done of which I am unaware, which is totally possible), so yea, that's a major flaw, one that breaks the deal for me. Being in a cage really has nothing to do with it, just the conditions really...crappy or not.

 

[CricketYang]

Just clean your coop on a regular basis and you'll be FINE. My family is from southeast Asia and they have a chicken coop bigger than their house. I know all about eating the raw eggs on top of rice, been eating it since I was a kid and never have I once had any type of food-borne illness. Typing this made me want to have some bimbimbap.

.. and collect your eggs often.