IA here

[urbanfarmer101]

Good luck to everyone competing at the Iowa State Fair!

 

[pbjmaker]

Eric - I named him Charming - as in Prince

 

[harleyjo]

Hope everyone had fun at the fair. We went today for a little bit. Anyway, I see there is another big egg recall and it is from an IA egg farm. If we sell our eggs in IA is it necessary to wash the eggs, and do we have to have the eggs labled in anyway?

I am going to be having eggs soon. My girls are 17 weeks now and one of them was squatting and letting my pet her the other night. Red combs and wattles, they are BSL's. I know it is ok to sell them in IA but wondering if there are any other rules we have to follow.

 

[mrandmrschicken]

How does an egg become contaminated from or with salmonela? Does it lay on the surface from not being properly washed? Or, does it grow on the inside from not being properly stored?

 

[FlashPointFarm]

If I had to guess, I'd say it was a combination of both. That, and the living conditions of the hens.

 

[laurielynn67]

I found this on a center for disease control website and it says it better than I can and I believe it to be correct.

Unlike eggborne salmonellosis of past decades, the current epidemic is due to intact and disinfected grade A eggs. Salmonella enteritidis silently infects the ovaries of healthy appearing hens and contaminates the eggs before the shells are formed.

Most types of Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of animals and birds and are transmitted to humans by contaminated foods of animal origin. Stringent procedures for cleaning and inspecting eggs were implemented in the 1970s and have made salmonellosis caused by external fecal contamination of egg shells extremely rare. However, unlike eggborne salmonellosis of past decades, the current epidemic is due to intact and disinfected grade A eggs. The reason for this is that Salmonella enteritidis silently infects the ovaries of healthy appearing hens and contaminates the eggs before the shells are formed.

Although most infected hens have been found in the northeastern United States, the infection also occurs in hens in other areas of the country. In the Northeast, approximately one in 10,000 eggs may be internally contaminated. In other parts of the United States, contaminated eggs appear less common. Only a small number of hens seem to be infected at any given time, and an infected hen can lay many normal eggs while only occasionally laying an egg contaminated with the Salmonella bacterium.

 

[FlashPointFarm]

That's good info, Laurie. Thanks for posting it!

I'd guess that living conditions of the hens are a huge factor, since most egg producing facilities have hens that never see the light of day.

 

[pbjmaker]

I was just thinking - now they will have to slaughter all those hens won't they?

Hey Eric - could you PM me your street address please!

 

[laurielynn67]

This is why a lot of factory egg farms used to feed a low level of antibiotics to their hens. I do not know if they still do. Its definitely better to raise your own eggs.

 

[harleyjo]

Curious if people know what the chicken ordiances are Des Moines and surrounding suburbs.