How do I wash/clean/disinfect the eggs before I put them in the fridge

[eggfinder]

But mine wander round the yard all day dropping their eggs in all sorts of places-including the mud on rainy day!

 

[tri-5-ron]

So as far as Washing the eggs goes,...
am I to assume here, that putting them in the Washing Machine, using hot water, and the "Gentle Cycle",...
is a Bad Idea ???

How about putting them in the Dryer ???
Should I set it at "Tumble Dry" with full heat, or, just the "Fluff Dry" and no heat ???

Am I going to be in trouble when my wife gets home from work ???? Cuz' there sure is a Big Mess in there now !!!

I"M JUST KIDDING ! ! !

 

[mkearsley]

Quote:
Unless your birds are dumb like mine & don't roost. I've got two girls who prefer to sleep on the nest (trying to hatch the eggs - in the wild, birds stay on the nest to keep the eggs warm during the night.) I've found that if I don't pick up the egg almost immediately, I usually get some poop on them. I have been washing them in cold water because by the time I get to the eggs, they're cold. But, then again, I'm also a newbie chicken farmer, so, I could be doing things wrong.

 

[Cindlady]

When I was a kid we always got eggs from a neighbor and never refrigerated them. They sat in an basket on a shelf about 2 feet off the ground. I say that because we also had a dog who decided that the brown eggs did not belong in there and would gently pick them all out and set them on the floor!

The only eggs we washed were the ones the dog picked out or real dirty ones just before we used them. We usually got eggs every week but sometimes it would be 2 weeks, and guess what.... we never got sick from them!

The reason big commercial places have to wash their eggs is because most are way more susceptible to disease than most small flocks!

Note: If you get allot of poopy eggs, take a look at your chickens! It could be a sign that something is wrong!

 

[Wisher1000]

Ways an egg would get "dirty"...

Hens sleeping in the nest boxes and pooping there
Hens bringing in poop on their feet
Hens with poop caked on the feathers around the vent
Egg layed in a dirty spot - like on the floor of the coop

None of the above should be happening!

When the egg moves to the vent, it is like it is in a glove of tissue and it never touches the canal that the poop is in. My eggs come out smooth, clean and cozy warm! I often put a just layed egg against my cheek because it feels so wonderful! If there is ever any poo from the above mentioned reasons, I will wipe it off with a damp papertowel and refridgerate immediately, but that hardly ever happens. There is nothing like those little gifts from my girls!

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
We do not wash our eggs until it is time to eat them. When you wash them, you remove the natural protective coating from the egg. It certainly does not hurt anything to wash your eggs, but you significantly shorten the shelf-life of the eggs if you wash them before refrigerating them.

 

[henney penny]

I hardly ever got a dirty egg from my golden comets,now that I have buff orpintons I have a lot of dirt eggs,I think the reason is they are feathered a lot more in the rear.I can always tell who layed the eggs comet or orp.

 

[queenbeezz]

I agree with the other posts. I never wash my eggs. Some of my customers have fussed about eggs that have a little dirt on them but after I explain why I don't wash them, they are ok. After all, you are not going to eat the shells. Just wash them before cracking.
I usually get clean eggs from my girls but someone out there manages to give me an occasional dirty one. I think it is my White Rhode, she's the dirtiest white chicken I've ever seen. Hubby calls her "Dirt Ball". She finds the blackest dirt to dust in that she can.

 

[jennybenny35]

I live in Oregon and it rains and rains, so everything is wet and muddy. In fact it's raining right now, and it was hailing a minute ago!

I try to keep the nests & coops clean! I try - but I have 40 hens, all sharing nests - so the eggs do get some mud on them. I have to wash this off - because I sell as many eggs as I can, I use very warm/hot water and a papper towl to get the dirt off with a gently wipe. I know - I am not really supposed to do this, but with all the dirty wet feet, and feathers I have no other choice. I do get many clean eggs, and don't wash them - but in rainy Oregon.... in the spring it's very difficult. The eggs that get poop on them - I either throw away if they are really bad, or just feed them back to the hens with the shells too, just make sure the shells really crushed up well.

Can't wait for the sun to come back!

 

[Funsizeracing]

Sounds like rinsing the eggs off under the sink then popping 'em the fridge is not what I'm supposed to be doing

How long will an egg last if it isn't refrigerated?