How many really wash eggs just before use?

[Hilltopper46]

Quote:
Little end down when packing for shipping.

We sold eggs when I was a kid on the farm. We washed only when it had poo or blood on it.

 

[The Gotfeather]

I'm with 'underground chickenman', don't wash them at all! If they have a bit of gunge wipe it off with a damp cloth/tissue. don't be so bloody paranoid, unless you are selling your eggs professionally of course. The shells are porous and if your eggs are regularly sitting in gunge then that is what you will be eating. Keep the nests clean and dry and your eggs will be fine without washing.

I apologize if this seems harsh but as a special needs teacher aide I have a lot of contact with children that have all sorts of food allergies and I tend to believe that it correlates to how precious their parents have been with what they put in their mouths and when.

I will hop of my soapbox and go to bed now, goodnight all and please forgive my wayward tongue if I have given any offence.

 

[MIKE555444]

I guess the question should be asked ...

How long will an egg last WITH the bloom?

How long will an egg last WITHOUT the bloom?

How many eggs will you be storing and how quickly will they be used?

If you are collecting large amounts of eggs and storing them for long periods of time then I can see your concern but for most of us.... we are most likely using these eggs within a 2 or 3 weeks anyway right? I doupt washing them will make them ruin in that short time right?

I'd just wash them unless I see that they are not being consumed in a resonalbe amount of time

BTW I believe "how muddy" your run is and how clean you coop is will also effect how clean the feet are of the hen... so alot can be done to prevent dirty eggs besides a clean nest.

 

[19hhbelgian]

Quote:

I'm sure we all do our best to keep the nest boxes clean. My girls don't do any thing other than lay eggs in theirs, so it's not that hard... I think it's just preference. Rinsing the eggs gives you a sense of cleanliness, whether it's actually cleaner or not. Seriously, if you actually did what you suggested above, wouldn't you at least rinse your finger if you didn't have soap? Maybe I don't want to know...

 

[Galaxiedriver]

Hmmmmm...........Maybe I should rethink a bit.

http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf_29_01.html

 

[The Gotfeather]

19hhbelgian posted - Rinsing the eggs gives you a sense of cleanliness, whether it's actually cleaner or not.

This is the clincher, if this is the world you are coming from then wash every one of your eggs.

Ultimately it is a personal choice rather than a scientific one, I am very keen to hear an opinion for washing eggs for personal use from a scientific perspective.

Cheers and goodnight.

 

[Chickens n' more]

Quote:
Very good info. Thank you for the link.

 

[Mommi3130]

We wash them when we get them and then again right before we eat them.

 

[Casey3043]

As my 92-year old mother is fond of saying, "I bin eatin' unwashed eggs my whole life and I ain't dead yet!" The same goes for vegetables straight out of the (manure-fertilized) garden. She will pick a bean or tomato or an okra pod and eat it while she strolls around the garden. If you were to ask her whether she washed it first, she would say, "What for?"

I agree with a previous poster who said a lot of the allergies, etc. in today's kids might be due to the fact that they didn't eat their "peck of dirt" while young.

As to eggs, I refrigerate them covered, small end down, unwashed. When I get them out to cook, I brush off any visible dirt, crack the egg, and GO.

I also keep a sand covered run and clean nest boxes. The hens have a large, grassy area to roam where their feet can stay relatively clean.

CASEY

 

[al6517]

I wash the dirty ones, even the dirty ones that I plan to incubate, I don't like the idea of Poopy eggs in 100* heat for 21 days, Uggh Nasty. But if they are clean I leave them alone, never had a problem.

AL