Egg cleaning

[A.T. Hagan]

I wash all of my eggs under hot running water then dry them before they go into the fridge. I don't ordinarily sanitize them unless I'm going to incubate them.

A hen has only one excretory orifice so anything she passes has to come out of the same hole.

 

[DonaldFan]

My hens are just starting to lay. Occasionaly I get an egg that looks as if there is a smear of blood on it. Is this normal? I'm assuming these are first eggs from some of the hens.

Jenn

 

[A.T. Hagan]

It's not uncommon, particularly with pullets just coming into lay. It should gradually disappear.

 

[F106A]

A.T. Hagan :

A hen has only one excretory orifice so anything she passes has to come out of the same hole.

Well, yes and no. This web site can explain it better than I can.

http://www.afn.org/~poultry/egghen.htm

BTW, most agriculture/extension office web sites (including the USDA) I checked with when I started getting eggs advise folks NOT to wash their eggs. In my limited experience I quickly discovered the cleaner the nesting area, the cleaner the eggs. Only occasionally have I had to use any effort to get the crud off my eggs, and if washed, those are consumed first. I store my eggs in the refrigerator, and prefer not having any heavily soiled eggs in there. Most of the time just a quick flick using a fingernail does the trick, then I (or my kids) ALWAYS wash our hands.

HTH!​

 

[DonaldFan]

Thank you, A.T.

 

[pittsk]

Thanks guys for all the great suggestions. Now I'm eagerly waiting on my first egg(s). Thanks again