Funny-tasting eggs and egg washing

[madornato]

I hope I am putting this under the right forum topic:

I have had complaints over the last couple of months from 2 people that I have sold eggs to and from my parents who I give eggs to that my chickens' eggs taste funny (one of the buyers complaining grew up on farm-fresh eggs, and my Mom grew up with farm-fresh eggs as well--so they should know when something's not quite right). The complaints seem to have started since I switched from Purina Layena pellets to Southern States laying pellets in order to save some money--$3 per bag cheaper. I looked on the bags, and the ingredients look VERY similar. Let me give you some background information: my chickens are kept in a henhouse/large run because of red-tailed hawks and occasional loose-running dogs in my area. I feed them mainly laying mash. I give them cracked corn for treats daily and I give them stale bread and leftover scrambled eggs, oatmeal, rice, etc., that I have as leftovers whenever possible. I am very careful not to give them spicy food or anything with garlic and onions in it. We have recently started giving them yard clippings, too. I have checked the temp. of my refrigerator--that's fine. I put 2 of those frig. baking sodas in the frig. where I have the eggs stored to absorb any flavors/smells that the eggs might absorb. I store the eggs in cartons on the bottom shelf of the frig., and I try not to keep them much longer than about 2 weeks although I've heard they'll keep much longer. I had been washing the eggs by soaking them in cold water--I recently discovered that that is not the right way to do it. I now take the eggs that are not dirty at all and put them straight in the frig. I take the ones with a little dirt or poo on them and gently wipe them with a warm, wet little scrub pad. I do not give my chickens any medications or anything of the sort.

Please help me figure out where I might be going wrong. Should I switch back to Purina? And, if so, how long would it be before I taste any difference in the eggs?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Kim_NC]

I'm more inclined to think it might be a weed...or wild onions?....in the grass clippings than the SS feed. I fill-in with SS feed occassionally when short of my usual local mill feed. Never had a problem with it and I sell A LOT of eggs and baked goods made from our eggs, plus we eat 2-3 cartons personally every week.

 

[vstoltzfus]

I was thinking the same thing--something in the grass.

 

[greenpeeps]

Kim_NC, I used to live in Hillsville VA. Mt Airy is a beautiful place.

Madornato - I think it's the grass also.

 

[Sissy]

I agree it must be in the
grass.

 

[madornato]

Hey--I apologize for not being clear. I only recently started giving the chickens yard clippings--it is nice to know, though, about the wild onions. The complaints have been from the eggs laid prior to that. I was just trying to give out all the info. I could so that y'all could tell me what I need to do differently in the future. I'm sorry I wasn't clear. I should have specified.

Thanks.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I had been washing the eggs by soaking them in cold water--I recently discovered that that is not the right way to do it. I now take the eggs that are not dirty at all and put them straight in the frig. I take the ones with a little dirt or poo on them and gently wipe them with a warm, wet little scrub pad.

Definitely not with cold water and no soaking. I wash mine under warm running water after I've poured hot soapy water over them first (they're in a basket, not a bucket).

But I don't think it's the washing that is causing the problem. I'd first look at the feed since it sounds like the off-flavor started after you switched feeds. The ingredients tags from many brands can be very vague because especially with the larger mills the specific ingredients they use can change from batch to batch and mill to mill. Even though you and I might be buying the same brand and type of feed they can be different from each other if they did not come from the same mill at the same time. It could be that something was used in that batch of feed that flavored the eggs. If there were no wild onions/garlic or other strongly flavored weeds in the grass clippings you were feeding then I don't think they would cause the problem. A great many of us raise our birds on grass and it only improves the flavor and color.

I'd change back to Purina for a week or so and see if the flavor goes back to normal. If by the end of the week you still have the off-flavor then I'd look elsewhere for the cause.

.....Alan.

 

[madornato]

Just an update--I gave one of the people complaining about the taste of my eggs some fresh eggs straight from the chicken house (no refrigation) 2 different times, and he said that they tasted good. The ones I had sold him before that had been in the frig for about a week he had said tasted bad (a couple of different times). However, the ones he had bought prior to February had also been refrigerated, but they tasted fine. So, I'm inclined to think it is something in my frig (that is different from January) making the eggs taste bad. I'm going to start storing them in my other frig to see what happens. Thanks for all the help.

 

[aimeeinwv]

my vote was for the grass clippings too... could very well be wild onions in that mix!