How do you clean your eggs?

[Gracie9205]

That is something I was just editing my last post to include. If it is not dirty by the wet droppings I just pop them in the fridge. I hate to wash off the bloom if I dont have to .

I'm guilty of this as well! I don't quite see what the big deal is. I've never been sick behind eating any of my eggs, washed or not!

 

[suezqz_64]

I guess I'm disgusting too. I just use cold water if they are dirty, I was always afraid the hot water would start to cook them and that soap would filter into the egg. Some people just can't handle eating something that comes out of another animals butt.

 

[loanwizard]

Just a quick question.... Who the heck eats the shell anyway?

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Just a quick question.... Who the heck eats the shell anyway?

Yes good question...

 

[joestahl]

I just rinse them off with water, and never considered it to be disgusting. If you crack the shell carefully, the egg never touches the outside of the egg.

 

[Gracie9205]

Yes good question...

Same thing I've always wondered!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I don't wash the eggs that I eat but I do wash/wipe the eggs that I sell to people. Sometimes I have an egg eater that will bust open an egg and by the time I get out there to collect the eggs, there is dried egg and hay stuck all on the egg. It's not a pretty sight, so I do have to wash those eggs. Other than that, I just wipe them and place them in the egg cartons for customers.

 

[Back2MyRoots]

I only ever wash an egg if I'm going to blow it for a craft project. If my mouth's going to be all over the shell, I feel the need to disinfect with a bit of white vinegar on a cloth. We never have poop or ick on our eggs because our laying boxes are nice and clean, so for eating, I just crack and go. I sell a few dozen every once in a while and give any excess away to family. I let everyone know I don't wash and why (ie the bloom). We even have some prepper friends that buy unwashed eggs for that reason. They swear that once covered in mineral oil they will keep unrefrigerated for 8 to 9 months as long as they have the bloom. So as "disgusting" as it is, I shall never wash my eggs!

 

[JeffOeuf]

OT Alert...

Beulah, I have a Lucy & Ethel, too. They're my crazy redheads (red sex-links).

 

[mtnviewfarms]

Unless the egg appears dirty I do not clean it. Cleaning; even w/o water, as in rubbing with a dry paper towel or very fine grit sandpaper, removes the protective 'bloom' from the egg shell. This 'bloom', secreted in the oviduct right before the egg is laid, protects the very porous egg shell from invasion by pathogens - which most certainly will occur if the bloom is removed.

See below, the egg is nearly 'sterile' when laid so no cleaning is necessary unless the egg has been 'soiled' by the chicken after laying.

I check all of my nest boxes at least three times daily so I can remove all eggs as soon as laid before they are soiled.

I also replace nesting material frequently ( I use dry pine straw that is 'free' on my land ) to help keep eggs clean.

If there is soiling on an egg I wet a paper towel slightly - ( making sure that the temperature of the water is warmer than
the egg - if the water is not warmer than the egg it invites more bacteria and pathogens into the egg shell ) - and very
gently clean off only the soiled are on the shell to leave as much of the 'bloom' intact as possible.

The Hen's Perspective on Laying Eggs (Wieckmann, 1896; Grzimek, 1964):

1. Chickens, as well as other birds, have a common opening for reproduction, and for the evacuation of stools and urine. This opening is called the "vent". They do not have a bladder because their urine is not a fluid. It is a white paste, called urates, that you can observe surrounding the droppings. The intestine, ureters and oviduct come together into a common chamber called the cloaca. This is a rather dirty place, whereas the egg is always clean and almost sterile when laid.

2. The hen turns part of the cloaca and the last segment of the oviduct inside out, "like a glove." The described red membrane is then inverted inside of these organs. The egg emerges far outside, at the end of the bulge. So it cannot contact the walls of the cloaca and get contaminated by stools or urine. Moreover, the intestine and inner part of the cloaca are kept shut by the emerging egg, and their contents cannot leave when the hen strains to deliver the egg. Therefore, eggs are always clean as they are laid. However, sometimes a hen, stomping around the nest with dirty feet, will get the egg dirty anyway.
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