FIRST EGG!! now questions....

[Ccdance75]

Super egg-cited to have our first egg yesterday, and our second today! We have had our nesting boxes covered and we will open them now, but what do we put inside?
They have been laying on the ground, so they eggs are super dirty...to wash or not to wash? I've read conflicting things.
Also, refrigerate or not? Again, I've read conflicting things.
We do have a rooster so I'm not sure if that changes the rules. We would rather not have him but he was born with a facial deformity and my kids have taken to him so we can't give him away. (hopefully he will have a fertilizing deformity as well )

Thanks for helping this beginner!

 

[nchls school]

Super egg-cited to have our first egg yesterday, and our second today! We have had our nesting boxes covered and we will open them now, but what do we put inside? I use straw or wood shavings.
They have been laying on the ground, so they eggs are super dirty...to wash or not to wash? I would store dirty and wash before use. Once your hens start laying in nest boxes your eggs will be clean. I've read conflicting things.
Also, refrigerate or not? We refrigerate. It increases the time the eggs can be safely kept for use. Again, I've read conflicting things.
We do have a rooster so I'm not sure if that changes the rules. No. We would rather not have him but he was born with a facial deformity and my kids have taken to him so we can't give him away. (hopefully he will have a fertilizing deformity as well

)

Thanks for helping this beginner!

You're welcome.

 

[Pork Pie]

i use sand for nesting boxes. I collect eggs almost immediately after they have been laid, so they are never dirty, but i agree with above post to clean directly before use. I do not refrigerate eggs, but either eat or give them away before they are a week old.

CT

 

[Happy Chooks]

I use pine shavings. The birds can nestle down into them. You can add fake eggs or golf balls to the nests to encourage them to lay there.

Washing dirty eggs depends on how dirty. If you wash them, then use them soon. You can store unwashed eggs on the counter for a couple of weeks. Unwashed eggs in the fridge will store for several months. Washed eggs need to be refrigerated and will not last as long as unwashed eggs, because the protection (called a bloom) that the hen puts on the egg to keep bacteria out has been removed.

Refrigerate or not - I do both. My freshest eggs are on the counter, then by a week, they get moved to the fridge during the height of laying. It's really a matter of personal preference and how quickly you use the eggs up. I like room temperature eggs for baking.

 

[PlanterJeff]

It looks like you got some really good answers from everyone above. There are some super informative articles on this site about egg storage too. I also enjoyed this article http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaar...egal-in-a-british-supermarket-and-vice-versa/ Just out of curiosity why did you have your nesting boxes blocked off? Were you having issues with them sleeping in there before? You may have to "train" your birds to use them now because they didn't have the opportunity to use them naturally before. If you do run into issues with them ignoring your boxes and continuing to lay on the floor, you will need to make that floor space look unappealing. You can do this by putting obstacles like an overturned bucket, some scrap wood, ect, really anything to deter them from laying there. Make it so they have to use the boxes now. Good luck!

 

[Ccdance75]

Thanks so much for that info. A friend told me to block them off so they wouldn't sleep or poop in them. Being a beginner, i just did as i was told! but i can see your point. hopefully my husband will unblock them today and the hens will find them! i hate having dirty eggs!

Since i inherited most of these chicken, is there a good place to go online where i can tell which breed they are?

 

[PlanterJeff]

Post the pictures here and some of the experts on this forum will help you. https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15/what-breed-or-gender-is-this

That could be very valid advice, I was just curious. I am also newer to this, so I was really curious.