Eggs...to wash or not to wash?

[Northern Flights]

I guess I should have said we do not sell our eggs, we hoard them. I like to use my nose to bunch them all together in a neat cluster and lay on them in a darkened closet.

 

[Folly's place]

But do they hatch out?

 

[GypsyChickenNCA]

Does anyone have a recipe for organic egg wash? Usually I dont wash my eggs unless dirty but Im thinking maybe I should start washing the eggs that I sell to others.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I have no idea! Try the official websites for organic poultry.
Actually it's kind of funny; there's really nothing 'organic' about soap! Soaproot?
I'll have to look it up too.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! FARAD.org has information, and a very fast read by me mentions 1% acetic acid for cleaning eggs. Vinegar, in other words, at 1% acetic acid.
So a wipe with warm water and vinegar sounds good. It won't kill everything, but the goal isn't to sterilize the shell anyway.
Mary

 

[Northern Flights]

Mary is bang on -- simply raising or lowering the ph of the water used will reduce most pathogens sufficiently, at least for those with functioning immune systems. I personally would choose to raise the ph rather than lower it, as more nasties are done in with a basic solution of ph 10 or more than an acidic one.

It is wise for anyone selling eggs to anyone to check with local regulators for proscribed procedures.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

For us, I wash our eggs in hot water with a small drop of soap and a drop or two of bleach...depending on the size of bowl I'm using. The hot water will expose any weak shelled eggs; they break. Eggs are rinsed under hot, running water and left to dry on dedicated fresh/bleached/laundered towel/s. Once the eggs are dry, they're packaged in clean cartons and immediately stored in the fridge for 1 to 1.5 weeks.

Eggs collected must be completely clean. Dirty eggs, floor eggs, outside eggs, cracked/broken/compromised eggs and day-old eggs are fed directly to the chickens/pets once the clean eggs are gathered. There is no waste. Nest box shavings are cleaned regularly and often, and used to bed the coop. Fresh shavings are used to fill the nest boxes and bed in front of the boxes to minimize contamination of the nest boxes.

Eggs may be collected and kept in the collection basket for the day in the house if I'm busy. But they are washed as soon as possible, usually that evening. Only clean eggs and clean/new egg cartons are used and put in the fridge. There is air movement within the fridge; mold spores and pathogens from insects, rodents or the chickens themselves could contaminate clean food items. Cross-contamination could occur when handling items and handling eggs/used egg cartons. Any cartons/eggs used for incubation are kept completely separate. People who offer cartons for eggs receive their same cartons back, no interchanging.

Eggs going to friends/family are selected from the eggs we've washed for ourselves. The freshest, best quality eggs are sent out; the uneven eggs are kept for our own consumption. This way everything is clean, consistent and everyone is on the same page.

This is what we are comfortable with and we wouldn't expect anyone to accept less than what we expect for ourselves. I've read many perspectives on the washing/not washing debate. My conclusions are based on my experience with hatching chicks. Developing embryos within dirty/surface contaminated eggs and porous eggs are and have always been the first embryos to die in the process of incubating when I've incubated fresh eggs. The critical issue for me is that while cooking can destroy a bacteria/virus/parasitic agent that may make someone sick...it does not destroy the toxins produced by the bacteria if that process has already begun. We value our health and the health of friends and family. For us, safety is paramount. There will always be more eggs tomorrow.

This is how clean our eggs must be before being considered for collection for eating purposes.

As others have suggested, do what you feel comfortable with. Here's a couple of links regarding staphylococcal food poisoning; it mentions the toxin produced...the second; cross-contamination and bacterial growth.

https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/diseases/staphylococcal.html
https://www.chilledfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Food-Hands-Bacteria.pdf

 

[Northern Flights]

I think the Australians read your post wicked chicken:

http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/_Documents/industry/egg_cleaning_procedures.pdf

Opens a .pdf

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I think the Australians read your post wicked chicken:

http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/_Documents/industry/egg_cleaning_procedures.pdf

Opens a .pdf

That's too funny!!
(The part on wiping the egg with a damp cloth must be of their own devising because I wouldn't do that. I've tried wiping the odd egg for incubating, those embryos have usually died as well.)

 

[buffyfluffy17]

Usually I just rinse the eggs off under tap water and wipe them with a paper towel. Works great, especially if you keep them in the fridge and eat them soon!