First egg question~storage advice~

[Luvmybob]

I'm so excited!!! My RIR, Rose, layed her first egg (s) this morning ( 3 eggs )

So I rinsed them off and layed them in the egg compartment of my fridge... Is this ok or is there a better way to store fresh eggs??

Any advice would be great... you should have seen my youngins running out to the coop...lol...all that waiting and surprise there she was laying in her nest box on all 3!!!

OK, sorry to blab, thanks again for any advice!
Dana

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats!

You have 3 pullets laying. From what I understand, it takes 25 hours or so to make an egg.

I don't wash mine before I store them in the fridge. There is a protective coating on the egg that keeps bacteria out, which makes them last longer. I wash mine before I use them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll give a link to a site that talks a lot about storing eggs and straightens out some myths about egg storage. It is a long read but I think it is worth it.

Storing Eggs
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sust...ggs-a-Year-or-More-Without-Refrigeration.aspx

What you are doing is OK if you are going to use the egg fairly soon. There is a coating on an egg, called bloom, that helps prevent bacteria from entering the porous egg shell. When you wash an egg or lightly sandpaper it you remove this bloom which reduced storage life of the egg. Before you panic, eggs that you buy at the grocer have been washed. If they are refrigerated, they still last a long time.

When you wash an egg, the recommendation is to use water that is at least 10 degrees warmer than the egg. I don't understand the physics involved, but cooler water tends to pass through the egg shell into the egg and it can take bacteria with it. Again, I would not panic, just use the egg in a few days. I recommend you always crack an egg into a separate bowl to make sure the egg is OK before you mix it in, whether it is one of your eggs or an egg you bought from the store.

Many people refrigerate eggs, either washed or unwashed. Many people store them on the kitchen counter. Mom would store hers in a bucket under the kitchen sink. As long as you stay away from temperature extremes and take a few basic precautions, you'll do fine either way.

 

[Luvmybob]

Wow, thank you both! I will look at the link...

I knew eggs took 24+ hours to make, I guess I was in such shock of one pullet laying on all three eggs in one nest box...I guess all the girls decided to use that one and she was last in the box maybe??

We will probably eat the eggs tonight ( kids want to wait for daddy ) but in the future I won't wash them off until right before we break them....I did wash them in cool water, just a rinse off, but I will be sure to warm up the water next time...

Thanks again, the advice was very helpful!

Dana

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:

Nice link!


Most hens find a favorite nestbox and won't try any of the others. I've had at time 6 hens lined up to use the same nest! Sometimes 2 laying at the same time in the nest.

 

[ChooksChick]

I only wash the poopy eggs, and we store them in an egg basket on the counter near the stove (not close enough to get warm).

The usually don't stay there for more than a week, because any time someone shows up, they tend to stare until I offer to send them home with some! I don't have a lot of extras with 6 layers, even with a 4 person family- we'll have 10 new layers in the coming weeks.

 

[Karrie13]

Quote:
That is a great article! I had wondered about storing eggs myself... of course my girls haven't stated laying yet. Thank you!

 

[frogs n chickens]

Great article, even if it is a little dated.

 

[Kezzie]

Quote:
LOL! There haven't been any technological leaps in eggshell design since 1977 so the date is pretty irrelevant.