How do you clean your egg shells?

[trinityfly]

Hi, I have been raising chickens (silkies) for at least 10 years and have had added lovely free range, organic eggs to my diet. The other day I offered a dozen of these eggs to a new neighbor who asked if I had washed them. Well, yes I had. I said, the eggs was washed under cool running water and brushed with a vegetable brush. Then they go into a box and into the frig. But I had the definite impression that the neighbor imagined a complicated machine in the back of our barn that scrubbed and sterilized egg shells. So how ignorant am I? How do you all clean your eggs for storage or do you clean them at all?

How about reusing egg boxes? Any problems there?

What do you think?

 

[Cats Critters]

If they're dirty I wipe them off with a wet paper towel, but if they're clean I don't it destroys the bloom (do a search you'll find lots of info on it). There is machines that you can buy to do it but to me they're not worth the cost. And I reuse egg cartons as long as they are clean.

 

[HenPecked_bychildren]

I just wipe any dirty ones down with a clean cloth as well. The eggs are rarely dirty as long as the next is kept clean.

I also reuse cartons.

 

[kla37]

I wipe off visible dirt with a damp paper towel, but everything I've read on here says not to wash them or else it would remove the natural antibacterial coating on the egg. Must work. We're all still here!

 

[magistradomina]

Quote:
That's the way we do it to! I also reuse the egg cartons unless they are dirty.

 

[aduplantis]

My eggs always come out clean. I agree if the nest box is clean then your eggs will be clean. I certainly reuse egg cartons.

 

[greenriver]

I wipe small specks clean but will not clean major poo. With good nesting practices there is very little if any dirt/poo. Yes to reusing cartons. Recycle!

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I have been keeping chickens for almost 18months now.. I have only had two "dirty" eggs since they started laying over a yr ago! One egg had a small blood smear and the other one had a tiny bit of poo on it... I took a damp paper towel and wiped them. I have NEVER washed an egg under running water or dipped the egg into water..

 

[PepsNick]

Scrub with wet towel and rinse with warm water.

 

[dipence71]

Well my girls must be just plain messy because my eggs are always dirty. Either muddy because of muddy feet or just plain dirty.