Eggs i want to eat

[DAO6603]

First time chicken owner, please pardon my ignorance. I have a few questions. Once my hen lays an egg and I remove it from the coop, how long do you wait to eat it? Do you refrigerate them right away? Do you have to wash them? What do you wash them with? Any other tips and advice would be appreciated.

 

[Sussex19]

When I collect eggs, they then go straight in the refrigerator, and there is certainly nothing wrong with doing it like that.
However, as long as you plan to eat them within a week or so, you can just keep them on the counter.
No need to wash them, unless they are really disgusting looking (which would mean you need to clean out your nest boxes a bit more) In which case I just use a bit of water.
Other people may do things differently.

 

[Sussex19]

Oh, and you can eat them straight away, or keep them for quite a few weeks.

 

[tripletfeb]

First time chicken owner, please pardon my ignorance. I have a few questions. Once my hen lays an egg and I remove it from the coop, how long do you wait to eat it? Do you refrigerate them right away? Do you have to wash them? What do you wash them with? Any other tips and advice would be appreciated.

You can eat the egg at any time. Either right away or wait until you get enough to make whatever dish you had planned. You only need to refrigerate them if they have been cold. So, if it's cold where you are, in the fridge they go. Otherwise, they can stay on the counter for awhile. I only wash them if they are dirty. If you do wash them, use plain water, warmer than the egg, and put them in the fridge right away

 

[Tired old Rooster]

Keep the nests clean. not just your work, but keeping anyone from sleeping in them. (chickens do about 70% of their pooping while they sleep. You don't want her laying her egg on a pile of poop).
If an egg is really messy, clean as needed and eat sooner than ones which came clean.
If all is good with hen and nest, you get a clean egg. May be eaten any time from the time she laid the egg and a few weeks, depending on temperature it was stored at.
If you live in Ecuador, eggs will last less long on the kitchen counter, than if you live in Canada.

 

[aart]

I don't wash eggs unless they are very dirty, then will refrigerate or use immediately because thorough washing will remove all the protective bloom(cuticle).

Eggs should be washed in 'water warmer than the egg'.
Simple physics, using colder water will cause the egg contents to contract, causing any 'germs' on exterior surface of egg shell to be pulled into the interior of egg thru the shell pores. Using warmer water will do the opposite.

I don't use any soap or other cleaning/sanitizing agent, just rotate in my hands to 'scrub' all surfaces area of egg shell. Then I air and towel dry before placing in the fridge.

If you are washing eggs for sale to the general public, other requirements may apply, so check your state regulations.

 

[DAO6603]

Thank everyone for the information.