Eggs for Eating....what is the process?

[epetronella]

I'm new to this and have no clue what to do. My chickens are laying eggs and I'm scared to eat them because I don't know if there is a process to go through. I've read that you should wash/not wash.....refrigerate/not refrigerate......how many days can an egg sit in the coop before I shouldn't eat it?? Any and all information is appreciated. Sorry for my ignorance on the subject....trying to learn!!! How should I store the eggs?

 

[Judy]

Don't waste those delicious eggs!

There are many approaches to storing eggs. They probably do best if collected daily and refrigerated unwashed, which is what I do if they are not soiled. They have a natural protective coating that is removed by washing. Commercial operations, however, are required to wash them with a sanitizing solution. In many places in the world, eggs are shipped, stored and sold without refrigeration.

If you leave the egg in the coop for, say, a week, a lot of things can happen, including getting accidentally broken or moved around, which can result in dried egg on the outside of other eggs. If you have a broody and it is fertile, it may begin developing. In cool weather that is above freezing, it will probably seem as fresh as the day it was laid.

Mother Earth News did a year long study some time ago on how long an egg is edible under all sorts of conditions. You can probably still find it online if you are interested.

 

[RoosterAddict99]

Hi, and welcome to BYC!!! The information in all the books and articles floating arournd can be confusing because they tend to contradict each other. I usually collect my eggs twice a day (once in the morning and once in the late afternoon) but, once a day is fine. You really don't want to leave them in the nests to long (particularly if it is hot) or they will spoil. Once you've collected them, I would rince and dry them lightly. Keep a scrubber handy for very dirty eggs. If you are getting more eggs than your houshold can eat, use water sparingly. Once you get an egg wet, it won't keep as long. I don't worry about this because my family eats lots of eggs! All eating eggs should be refrigerated once they are moderately clean. Good luck!!!

 

[epetronella]

Thanks so much!!! Now I can start using my eggs....I was just afraid of getting sick if I ate a bad one or if I didn't "Clean" or handle them properly. Good to know!!!

 

[SIMZ]

I was a little scared of our eggs at first, too! It must have something to do with how we're always told to practically wear a bio-hazard suit when dealing with raw eggs, right?

Do what makes you feel the most comfortable with eating them. The best scenario would be to gather them once or twice a day and refrigerate them. If they're obviously soiled then wash them off in slighter warmer water than the egg, dry it, and then refrigerate it.

I personally gather eggs around noon and again in late afternoon when they're all done laying. They go straight into the refrigerator and that's where they stay. I would eat them if they sat out at room temperature --- but only if it wasn't sitting in the coop because we have some sometimes-broody hens. Although, it would still be cooked and given to dogs or chickens.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined us!

The reason you get so many different answers is because so many different things work. You will find on here that there is seldom one right answer that covers all of us. There are several things that work. It's just which method we chooose to follow that works for us in our unique situation. A lot of these recommendations are aimed more at the commercial egg industry than at us, but you can still learn a lot from them.

When the hen lays an egg, she puts a coating on it called "bloom". If you see it right after it is laid, it looks wet but very quickly dries. That wet stuff is the bloom. The bloom helps stop bacteria from entering the egg shell. That egg shell is porous so a developiong chick can breathe.

I think bloom is often overrated on this forum. It is not a perfect barrier, but it works pretty well. A dirty egg can still get bacteria inside even with the bloom intact, but a relativey clean egg can last a very long time. The egg is not going to go bad unless bacteria get inside. People have stored eggs on the counter for several weeks without them going bad. If the egg is fertile and you store it at warm temperatures that egg can develop some, even at temperatures as low as in the 80's Fahrenheit.

If you take the bloom off the egg by washing it or rubbing it to clean it, that egg should go in the refrigerator. It will still last for weeks or even months on the refrigerator but don't leave it out on the counter.

The recommendation when you wash them is to use water a little warmer than the egg. The theory is that if you wash it in cold water, the air in the air cell can shrink, creating a suction on the egg shell since cold air contracts. That suction could draw dirty water through the porous shell. Warm water would cause that air cell to expand slightly, keeping dirty water out. By the time it cools again and sucks air or water in, it should be clean. I think that is aimed at the commercial egg industry more than us, but it is still good practice to use warmer water.

I like to collect eggs daily and not leave any in the coop overnight. This is not so much from a concern that the egg will go bad as much as it is a draw to egg eating animals.

Hope this helps a bit and again,

 

[epetronella]

I'm feeling alot better about my eggs now. Thanks for all the info!!!! I'm learning so much as we go along!!!!

 

[Mum]

Nothing to add, but wanted to say: Welcome to BYC, epetronella

Glad you are enjoying learning and chicken keeping

 

[mickey328]

When we first started, I rinsed the eggs under cool water, but don't bother with that any more. If there's anything stuck to them, I scratch it off with a fingernail, but otherwise, I just put 'em straight in the fridge. They'll keep quite a while before refigerating, but I stick 'em in simply cuz I'm here and tend to collect several times through the day.

Yesterday, we were out all day so could only collect once and they were all sort of poopy, LOL. It was stuck on pretty hard, so I had to soak them in cool water to loosen it, then I used a nail brush to get it off.

Enjoy those eggs...you'll taste nothing like 'em from a store!

 

[MeatKing]

Welcome to BYC,

I agree with what everyone posted were all differnent about how we keep our eggs different ways..

I only wash my eggs when they look dirty, I also let my children eat the cookie batter.. Their fine!! Healthy children, no need to worry..

I have been told, kids shouldn't eat the batter, but hey, we did as kids... I'm still here, so my kids eat, not washed, raw egg batter!!