I've honestly never urged so much in my life, it put me off making an omelette that's for sure. Is there any reason behind this? Can I stop this happening in the future?
Thanks
Thanks
I cracked my first bad egg today.
- Thread starter DaveTaunton
- Start date
How was it bad? Was it rotten with that rotten egg smell? I agree that is just plain horrible.
Or did it have something in it? A developing chick? That’s not really dangerous. In some cultures those are a delicacy but with me that has a real high YUK! factor. It would take some extreme circumstances for me to eat one of those I don’t care how it is cooked.
Or was it a blood spot or meat spot. Those are not all that unusual. Sometimes a tiny blood vessel ruptures in the hen’s reproductive tract or something gets in the egg as it is forming. Those are not unsafe to eat but there is a YUK! factor involved. Some of those are not all that bad but some are horrible. That’s a big reason the large commercial operations electronically candle their eggs, to remove those from the ones that make their way to the grocery store. They don’t want to surprise their customers.
I grew up on a small farm in the hills many decades ago. Mom always cracked an egg in a separate bowl before she added to anything. I don’t know what you saw but you saw the reason she did that.
Or did it have something in it? A developing chick? That’s not really dangerous. In some cultures those are a delicacy but with me that has a real high YUK! factor. It would take some extreme circumstances for me to eat one of those I don’t care how it is cooked.
Or was it a blood spot or meat spot. Those are not all that unusual. Sometimes a tiny blood vessel ruptures in the hen’s reproductive tract or something gets in the egg as it is forming. Those are not unsafe to eat but there is a YUK! factor involved. Some of those are not all that bad but some are horrible. That’s a big reason the large commercial operations electronically candle their eggs, to remove those from the ones that make their way to the grocery store. They don’t want to surprise their customers.
I grew up on a small farm in the hills many decades ago. Mom always cracked an egg in a separate bowl before she added to anything. I don’t know what you saw but you saw the reason she did that.
- Thread starter
- #4
Oh god no! There wasn't anything odd in it. It was just very watery and the yolk wasn't together. I didn't know that it was untoward until I moved in for a closer look and got a full face of the smell that IS rot. Just rot. Haha, or really bad egg 
That helps. A foul rotten egg. Those are sickening.
What caused that was that bacteria got inside and multiplied. When the hen lays an egg she puts a layer of something called "bloom" on it. That's the stuff that makes it look wet when it is laid but it quickly dries. That bloom helps stop bacteria from getting inside the porous shell. It’s obviously not perfect but it does a pretty good job. A hen can hide a nest, lay eggs in it for two weeks or more, then set n them for three more weeks and bacteria almost never gets inside any of them. Ducks, turkeys, and geese can go even longer. In relatively clean conditions some eggs can go years without bacteria getting inside.
But somehow bacteria got inside. Maybe it was dirty, say chicken poop clumped on it. Or maybe the bloom was removed, either by washing or rubbing it, maybe rubbing dirt off. Maybe the shell was cracked. That’s half the story.
The other half is that the egg needs to be fairly warm for the bacteria to grow. Incubation temperature is about perfect for the bacteria to grow. That’s what scientists often use to culture bacteria, an egg kept at 100 degrees. The cooler you keep it the slower bacteria will multiply if it gets inside.
So how can you reduce the chances of something like this happening again? Gather the eggs every day. Don’t leave any in the coop.
If they are clean and you don’t remove the bloom, you can pretty much just store them on the kitchen counter at room temperature a long time. That’s pretty much what I do. But if they are dirty I wash them and then refrigerate them. With them that cool, removing the bloom isn’t that big a deal. Or even better, just refrigerate all of them. Bacteria probably won’t get in to start with, but it’s certainly not going to multiply at those temperatures.
What caused that was that bacteria got inside and multiplied. When the hen lays an egg she puts a layer of something called "bloom" on it. That's the stuff that makes it look wet when it is laid but it quickly dries. That bloom helps stop bacteria from getting inside the porous shell. It’s obviously not perfect but it does a pretty good job. A hen can hide a nest, lay eggs in it for two weeks or more, then set n them for three more weeks and bacteria almost never gets inside any of them. Ducks, turkeys, and geese can go even longer. In relatively clean conditions some eggs can go years without bacteria getting inside.
But somehow bacteria got inside. Maybe it was dirty, say chicken poop clumped on it. Or maybe the bloom was removed, either by washing or rubbing it, maybe rubbing dirt off. Maybe the shell was cracked. That’s half the story.
The other half is that the egg needs to be fairly warm for the bacteria to grow. Incubation temperature is about perfect for the bacteria to grow. That’s what scientists often use to culture bacteria, an egg kept at 100 degrees. The cooler you keep it the slower bacteria will multiply if it gets inside.
So how can you reduce the chances of something like this happening again? Gather the eggs every day. Don’t leave any in the coop.
If they are clean and you don’t remove the bloom, you can pretty much just store them on the kitchen counter at room temperature a long time. That’s pretty much what I do. But if they are dirty I wash them and then refrigerate them. With them that cool, removing the bloom isn’t that big a deal. Or even better, just refrigerate all of them. Bacteria probably won’t get in to start with, but it’s certainly not going to multiply at those temperatures.
- Thread starter
- #6
Ah thanks, that's very much appreciated. I found a hidden nest in the garden not long ago with like...25+ eggs? How I missed that is beyond me. But I'm not risking using them now. Can they still eat the shells though?
Thanks again, it was really useful to know
Thanks again, it was really useful to know
do you really want to crack those eggs and wash them for the shells?Ah thanks, that's very much appreciated. I found a hidden nest in the garden not long ago with like...25+ eggs? How I missed that is beyond me. But I'm not risking using them now. Can they still eat the shells though?
Thanks again, it was really useful to know
do you really want to crack those eggs and wash them for the shells?
well, i was trying to erase part of my post after i reread the whole thing and realized you wert talking to me but all i did was post it twice.lol
- Thread starter
- #10
I would wager that not all of them are like that...Regardless..You're right.. I don't think I'd want to risk it haha >.<
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