Egg storage

[BigBlueHen53]

No leniency with you. You find the traitor and “off with yer head, matey.”

It only takes one to teach the others ....

 

[GC-Raptor]

Interesting, my hens prefer the left nest too. It's the furthest from the door, I wonder if that's a factor?

The popular nest in the Barred Rocks coop is the furthest from the pop door, but closest to the large door that remains closed most days. It's between the waterer and feeder. The other nests are on the other side of the feeder. GC .

 

[Mimi13]

It only takes one to teach the others ....

You are exactly right.

 

[Anticlockwise]

The measurement of egg freshness is called Haugh Units (pronounced Hawk). It is the measurement of Albumin height (or egg white) of an cracked egg on a flat surface close to the yoke. As the egg ages the egg white becomes more runny and thick Albumin height goes down. Keeping eggs refrigerated will slow down the aging process.

 

[Galeann]

I very much appreciate the education refresher on egg storage. And i appreciate and enjoy the stories shared along with the education.

 

[Neggative]

what i have always heard is that eggs are good up to 6 months in the refrigerater... and sometimes eggs from the store can already be up to 3 months old.

 

[50-45-1]

this whole leaving eggs out on the counter thing boggles my mind. 100 years ago, my great grandmother had no electricity, maybe a root cellar or Ice Box and she knew that her food stayed fresher longer if she kept it cold. maybe her eggs were left out. I dont know.
i do know that i have electricity and a refrigerator and i will put my eggs in it. yes i wash them first also.
just the thought of where they just came from and that i will be touching them while i am preparing meals for my family makes me do so.
the difference between Europe and USA when it comes to eggs and hens, (Europe eggs not refrigerated) is that there chickens are required to be vaccinated against salmonella and USA chickens are not. this is why USA eggs are washed in sanitizer and refrigerated to 40 deg immediately. In Europe they have setups so they dont get dirty eggs either.
i feel like this fancy display rack and novelty of room temperature eggs is going to result in a lot of sickness and disgusting episodes in kitchens accost the country.
i know i have never is 50 years got a bad egg because i washed and refrigerated it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The measurement of egg freshness is called Haugh Units (pronounced Hawk). It is the measurement of Albumin height (or egg white) of an cracked egg on a flat surface close to the yoke. As the egg ages the egg white becomes more runny and thick Albumin height goes down. Keeping eggs refrigerated will slow down the aging process.

That's a cool thing to know! Thanks! How does one learn such a thing?

 

[333113]

I was told by my ex, a US food inspector, that a commercially produced egg ages very, very quickly when left out. Once it reaches room temperature, it ages in about an hour as much as it would have in a week in a refrigerator. Now that I know more about the natural state of eggs and how long commercial product can take to get to my table, that makes a lot of sense ... and it's kinda scary!

I had a discussion with a very nice Mennonite woman at Jacob's Cave Swap Meet (in Missouri) a couple of years ago who told me that she does wash every egg she picks up right away, then wipes them with clarified butter or rendered lard after washing, to "seal" the egg and keep it fresh.

I have tried this for myself with clarified butter and with olive oil. Both work fine for me to keep eggs fresh for two weeks (yolk still standing high). I have not had good results for hatching after this treatment. My sister suggested the same treatment, but leaving the air cell end clear of this treatment. I haven't tried it yet but I will this spring.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I had a discussion with a very nice Mennonite woman at Jacob's Cave Swap Meet (in Missouri) a couple of years ago who told me that she does wash every egg she picks up right away, then wipes them with clarified butter or rendered lard after washing, to "seal" the egg and keep it fresh.

I have tried this for myself with clarified butter and with olive oil. Both work fine for me to keep eggs fresh for two weeks (yolk still standing high). I have not had good results for hatching after this treatment. My sister suggested the same treatment, but leaving the air cell end clear of this treatment. I haven't tried it yet but I will this spring.

Interesting. I would imagine oiling the eggs seals off the pores in the shell, rendering osmosis impossible so the egg can't breathe. There would be no transfer of gases, either in or out, as required for a viable egg for hatching. I can see oiling working for eggs desired for consumption, however. Please post your results as to hatching, when you leave the air cell unoiled. Curious!