One of our d'Uccles is determined to hide her eggs. I just found her most recent hiding place, in the corner of the coop, directly ON THE NASTY FLOOR! She is our only hen that is laying right now, and she had 10 eggs hidden in that little feather covered nest. The dilemma... I want to keep these eggs since we're not getting any others, but her nest location was anything but desirable. Most of the eggs are clean but there are a few that have quite a bit of poo on them. When a nest box egg has a little poo on it I normally wash it and dry it just before I cook it. Would you keep eggs off the floor of the coop? If so, would you wash them before storing them or wait until you're about to use them?
All of my girls lay on the coop floor, they flat out refuse to use nest boxes and I got tired of trying to force them. I wash all of my eggs before putting them in the fridge to store them, unless they are clean.
So this is what I would do. If they have alot of poo, I would discard them. The shells out layer has a protective coating, but some poo can still leak into the pores and I just wouldn't trust it. If it's just a little poo I would wash it off and it should be fine. I would suggest putting some straw or pine shavings in the area she likes to lay and if it's right under a roost or something, remove the roost.
My older hen lays on the floor she was on the farm when I bought it and was alone for months. She likes a corner of the coop where a board is leaned up against the wall. I remove any poop in the nest daily and wash the eggs befor they go in the fridg. she is happy and I am happy. When I took the board away she started laying in a corner in the barn under a tarp. It is easier to maintain her spot than go hunting eggs all the time.
