FAQs didn't really answer about washing eggs or not

[gritsar]

Quote:
I've seen quite a few with the bloom still wet - okay, I hang around my coop way too much.

The bloom is really interesting. It's sticky until it dries.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Practically all the commercial eggs you buy from the store are washed in warm water and immediately refrigerated. They still keep in a refrigerator for weeks. If you are going to use your eggs within a couple of weeks, I don't think it really matters if you wash them or not, as long as the water is warm and you refrigerate them. I'm not selling eggs yet, but if I were I would not sell a dirty egg. I'd just tell my customers to refrigerate them.

If you do not wash an egg, it will last a long time either on the counter or at room temperature or in the refrigerator. If you wash it, then refrigerate it. Either way, they keep well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either approach.

Redstars Mother Earth article is kind of long but a good read, well worth the time.

 

[LRG]

Thanks for all the information! This has been most informative. I'd like to suggest to the moderators to add some of this info to the answer given in the FAQ section for my question, because everyone's answers really helped to clarify for me. Gave my roo away yesterday so I won't have to worry about cracking eggs in a separate bowl (or about my neighbors cracking me due to his pre-dawn singing!). Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
Some great myths I keep seeing on here are that a rooster has anything to do with the quality of an egg, the taste of an egg, how long an egg will keep, or the appearance of an egg. In truth, a rooster has no effect on any of these things.

If an egg is fertile and a hen incubates the egg for a while, the egg will start to develop. But if you collect the eggs once a day (evenings recommended for different reasons), even with a broody hen setting on the eggs all day, the eggs will be no different whether they are fertile or not.

Some different reasons to collect them at the end of the laying day. #1 is my main reason.

1. Eggs left in the nest overnight are an open invitation to predators, especially rats, but possums, snakes, and skunks also come to mind.

2. If you have a broody setting on the eggs or chickens that sleep in the nesting boxes, you give them a lot less time to start developing.

3. If it is extremely cold at night, the egg might freeze.

4. You are less likely to disturb the hens while they are laying.

 

[Ladyhawke1]

Quote:
Some great myths I keep seeing on here are that a rooster has anything to do with the quality of an egg, the taste of an egg, how long an egg will keep, or the appearance of an egg. In truth, a rooster has no effect on any of these things.

If an egg is fertile and a hen incubates the egg for a while, the egg will start to develop. But if you collect the eggs once a day (evenings recommended for different reasons), even with a broody hen setting on the eggs all day, the eggs will be no different whether they are fertile or not.

Some different reasons to collect them at the end of the laying day. #1 is my main reason.

1. Eggs left in the nest overnight are an open invitation to predators, especially rats, but possums, snakes, and skunks also come to mind.

2. If you have a broody setting on the eggs or chickens that sleep in the nesting boxes, you give them a lot less time to start developing.

3. If it is extremely cold at night, the egg might freeze.

4. You are less likely to disturb the hens while they are laying.

Whether I crack an egg in a bowl or not, has nothing to do with whether I have a rooster … or not. I am pretty sure I know about the birds and the bees as far as chickens are concerned.

I crack in the bowl just in case I have missed something….I would rather find something in that bowl than in my mouth. I would rather smell that egg first than smell it in my mouth.

If you have ever eaten a “bad” oyster or clam, you would know what I am talking about. I do the smell and eyeball test on everything.

 

[wombat]

I dug up a bit more information on commercial egg practices.

Commercial eggs are washed at 110-120 degrees in a detergent solution, dried, and then coated with mineral oil to replace the protection that would have naturally come from the bloom.

 

[PlymouthRocker]

I use a bit of sandpaper to remove any icky stuff. No water involved to remove the bloom or worry about the temperature.

 

[Uzuri]

Pretty sure that if water removes the bloom, sandpaper sure will! XD

 

[wombat]

Quote:
It will, but only in that small spot. You'll still have a lot less exposed bare shell, so you'll lose less moisture over time.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Erased because I was not paying attention to who posted. My fault.