Got Sick from Eggs

[Biglurr54]

So for the second time I have gotten sick from my chickens eggs. Ive had my flock for about 3 months and I have 2 fried eggs every morning. i have gotten sick twice. Both times were exactly the same. I ate in the morning, worked around the house and started not feeling well around 3pm. Then i would vomit by 6pm and then I would be fine.

The only thing I could think of is my chickens lay their eggs in the nesting boxes most of the time. They do share the nesting boxes with the ducks. Sometimes the eggs have manure on them and sometimes they lay the eggs on the coop floor. I have read a ton on not washing eggs and all so I try to not wash them unless they really need it. The last batch of eggs that got me sick were fairly dirty. When cracking them, I took extra care to make sure the egg internals didnt contact the shell. That morning I had found one egg on the coop floor. Im not sure if that was one of the eggs I ate that morning or not.

Any idea whats going on? How can I clean the eggs? I know store bought eggs arent straight from the vent. Im sure they get a cleaning treatment.

 

[greasy]

You can wash your eggs and then rub mineral oil on the shells and they'll keep for a long time. I don't wash mine either, until I'm about to use them, then I run hot tap water over them and wash them with a little scrubby, sometimes some soap if they're really dirty. It's pretty common to see a little poop on them. When I sell my eggs, I wash them first. I don't want anyone getting sick because they don't remember to do it themselves.

 

[donrae]

I've eaten eggs with large amounts of poop on them...I have one hen that poops on the egg every blessed time

I either wash the eggs or scrape the poop off, no biggie. I've had eggs that have yolk from a broken egg in the nest all over the shell. I have birds that lay in the run sometimes, the egg's setting in the mud. I just wash and eat. I'm just not seeing how eating something in the am will make you sick at 3 pm....most food poisoning issues are much sooner than that.

If you really think something on an unwashed egg is making you sick, then wash them. Warmish water, no soap. Easy peasy.

 

[Catahoula Hank]

I have read a ton on not washing eggs and all so I try to not wash them unless they really need it.  

I'm new and this part of your post caught my attention. Why aren't you supposed to wash your eggs? Is it ok to rinse them before you put them in the fridge?

 

[bugflipper]

There is a natural coating on eggs. Washing removes it and reduces the shelf life. You can wash with warm water and soap if wanted and put in the fridge if you like. To check and see if they are still good fill up a coffee mug with water and put the egg in it. If it floats it has passed it's shelf life. If you want them to last for months on end wipe them down with cooking oil. You can even leave them unrefrigerated for months like that as no air gets in or out. If you wish to incubate do not wash or cover with oil.

 

[Tuhmu]

I would be highly suspicious of any egg laying on the floor, unless you for sure know how long its been there. A lot of times with my own eggs I will find one partially buried, probably just had saw dust scratched on to it, but it gets put straight in the trash. If I'm around the house all day and can make frequent trips to the hen house and see that a hen is deciding to lay on the floor (my polish does this a lot, confused girl

) then I'll take it.

 

[Amina]

If you cooked the eggs, then I don't see how you could have gotten sick from eating them... are you sure it's not what you ate for lunch those days?

Food poisoning is generally an issue of either under-cooking something, or having cross-contamination. If you're cooking these eggs, then I'd be more suspicious of cross-contamination. It's best to have separate cutting boards for meats vs. veggies, and thoroughly clean any areas where you were working with raw animal products, especially meat. Bleach those areas down afterwards.