Egg cleaning?

[digitS']

You have to avert your eyes from the dirty (egg) pictures to read the text: Egg Cleaning Procedures for the Backyard Flock, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension

My take from the info that seems important is "water temperature . . . as hot as the hands can tolerate for about 30 seconds or until the egg has been cleaned. This is so the contents of the egg will expand and 'push' out any invading microbes."

One can also assume that the egg will not absorb that hot water thru the shell.

Steve

 

[crooked stripe]

By reading all these replies I get the impression that most of you are getting dirty eggs frequently. Most all my eggs are clean with no poo on them. I am proud when people see how clean they are. My hens don't use the nest boxes unless laying. I do get an egg every once and a while in the back corner of the coop. I did no training they just do it that way. I might get 1 out of 12 with some poo streaks on it and then I wash with water then refrigerate it before eating.

 

[dangerouschicken]

You are lucky then!

Mine vary from poopy to dirty to very clean. Totally random.

 

[ronshoney]

we have to wash most of ours..... whether poopy or sometimes a little bloody......... some of them come out clean as can be but that is not the norm. for here. My hens too like to sneak to the boxes to sleep some are very persistant. I will try moving them after dark. I always have to take one or two down from the top of the door b4 I close it too.

 

[wxdude99]

I should start getting eggs in about a month. My chickens are 3 1/2 months old. I came to a compromise. I'm not going to wash them until right before I eat them. That way the "bloom" protects the eggs from bacteria, and I don't have to break an egg with poop on the shell against my frying pan.

 

[jmass]

I have tried moving the hens from the nesting boxes at night but the keep going back the next night.

 

[Ericasl]

I also do not get very many dirty eggs, but when I do I spot wash. Well I did have some of my new layers that wanted to sleep in the boxes!! YUCK drove me crazy no matter how many times I went out and moved them. I was so mad so I went to Wal mart and bought some dark cheap fabric and stapled it to drape down over the box at night. Then in the morning I pulled it up. After a week or so of not being able to sleep in the box the caught on to the perches. No more poo in the boxes...

 

[lengel]

What do commercial people do? Why do we trust eggs in the store more than we do the ones we collect and clean ourselves from our own hens?

I discard every egg which shows any kind of weakness in its shell (and definitely any kind of crack). Otherwise, I wash it off and don't think twice about it. It's not like the egg is sitting around in filth working its way through the shell. The fact of matter is that bacteria is on the shell whether it's visible or not. It's just part of the process.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
Excellent point, commercial eggs are all washed. So why not our own?

I don't discard weak-shelled eggs unless they are cracked and dirty. I use stained eggs all the time. The stain's just on the outer shell. I even use crack ones if they aren't oozing, and they're clean. Dirty cracked eggs go to the dogs and cats. Oozing cracked eggs, too. I beat them with a little milk and make "kitty-nog" and "doggy-nog", or scramble them.

I just don't sell the weird-shaped, weak shells, stained or cracked ones.

 

[asbarbour]

Is it bad to use an antibacterial soap? I usually use Dawn or something else normal like that, but someone asked me about using dial antibacterial handsoap. I wash all of my eggs because I am pregnant and do not want to chance any poo on the shell getting into my food. Also from what I have been reading the soap shortens the freshness of the egg, I can't seem to keep my eggs around for more than a week anyway. We are egg crazy!!!