egg care

[jhowe0987]

So I am pretty new to having chickens. I built my little chicken house and now I have four ladies who lay regularly. My question is, how do I properly care for the eggs before I eat them. I have been taking them straight from the nest and putting them into an egg carton in the fridge, and then rinsing them off under the faucet right before I crack them for cooking. Is this ok? Also, how long do eggs stay good? Thanks!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

So I am pretty new to having chickens. I built my little chicken house and now I have four ladies who lay regularly. My question is, how do I properly care for the eggs before I eat them. I have been taking them straight from the nest and putting them into an egg carton in the fridge, and then rinsing them off under the faucet right before I crack them for cooking. Is this ok? Also, how long do eggs stay good? Thanks!

You really don't "need" to do anything to them - even refrigeration is unnecessary with unwashed fresh eggs, lots of folks have their eggs in bowls, baskets, etc on the counter top until they use them. There is nothing wrong at all with what you have been doing so far - though, if the eggs are clean (clean meaning free of caked debris, waste, etc), the rinse is just an extra step that could be eliminated with no issues.
How long an egg will be good will depend on whether you leave the natural bloom in tact and how the egg is stored - eggs can remain safe and desirable to consume for months depending on different factors

 

[jhowe0987]

What types of factors would allow my eggs to last longer?

 

[jhowe0987]

Also, are there advantages/disadvantages of refrigeration?

 

[Monguire]

What types of factors would allow my eggs to last longer?

Leaving the bloom intact...i.e., not washing/rubbing the eggs until just before use (if at all)

Temperature. The cooler the temp, the longer they will stay fresh.

Humidity. High humidity will cause the eggs to age more quickly.

Also, are there advantages/disadvantages of refrigeration?

Pros:
Eggs last MUCH longer refrigerated. The general rule of thumb is one day unrefrigerated = one week refrigerated. So an egg sitting on the counter five days is roughly of the same quality/freshness of an egg that has been refrigerated for a month. I personally will not eat my eggs after 7 days on the counter (a VERY rare occurrence round here) at 72 degrees and 55% humidity. The chooks however LOVE scrambled eggs no matter how old they are! There is nothing scientific about that 7 days...just a number i rectally extracted and use as my guide for maintaining what i call a "fresh" breakfast.

If you plan to sell/give eggs away, most folks not in the know get real squeamish if you mention you don't refrigerate. Most localities will require that you refrigerate to sell lawfully.

Cons:
Eggs can fill up a fridge fast if you don't have a means to eat/give away excess.

If fertilized, you will have a much lower viability rate for previously refrigerated eggs set in an incubator or under a broody hen

 

[WNCcluck]

We are keep the bloom, store the eggs on the counter folks. We give our eggs a rinse before using them but not before. We've found egg skelters to be helpful in keeping the rotation by date laid in order.