Newbie Egg Questions

[NHMountainMan]

Hi BYC Gang -
I've got a few egg questions - i look forward to your advice.

Egg safety - I've read the countless opinions on bloom, cleaning and refrigeration. I've opted to leave them on the counter.

The question -- do I need to wash them before cracking them? Seems like if there is a risk, it's in having the eggshell break into the uncooked egg before cooking -- see question 2 below!

Second - I notice that my eggshells are very hard. Much harder than the local farm raised eggs I had been buying (and way harder than store bought.) I provide oyster shell on the side, and feed full flock. I'm having a very hard time cracking open my eggs without some of the eggshell getting into the uncooked egg. Not something I have a problem with until using my own eggs in cooking?

Is the very strong eggshell an issue, or do I just need to figure out?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[FortCluck]

I wash mine before cooking with them. If I have to wash a dirty egg (rarely happens) I'll put it in the fridge.

My eggshells are thick too. I've actually had eggs sitting in my sweatshirt pocket all day because I forgot and they never broke. I had to learn how to crack them, it took a while to learn. I feed my eggshells back to the girls (I break them to small pieces), it is good for the ground/bugs as well. I put them on/in a pile of leaves and they turn the leaves for me while they search for the shells.

I don't see strong eggshells as an issue, it would be an issue if you had weak ones though.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I have noticed the pullet eggs seem to have a harder shell than the hen eggs. I never thought this a problem. I rinse with cool water before cracking. I feed the same as you, all flock with OS on the side. I would suggest that your home grown chickens are healthier and happier than "factory raised" chickens thus resulting in a better quality egg. That's why I started keeping my own chickens.

 

[NHMountainMan]

I have noticed the pullet eggs seem to have a harder shell than the hen eggs. I never thought this a problem. I rinse with cool water before cracking. I feed the same as you, all flock with OS on the side. I would suggest that your home grown chickens are healthier and happier than "factory raised" chickens thus resulting in a better quality egg. That's why I started keeping my own chickens.

Agree- I started for the same reason. All my chickens are pullets. Are you saying that as they mature, the "excess" hardness will abate?

 

[FortCluck]

My chickens eggs are all the same from pullets to hens. The shells never changed, hard shells are a sign of a good laying flock. Brittle shells are a sign that your flock is lacking something.

 

[Diana_burns04]

Hi BYC Gang -
I've got a few egg questions - i look forward to your advice.

Egg safety - I've read the countless opinions on bloom, cleaning and refrigeration. I've opted to leave them on the counter.

The question -- do I need to wash them before cracking them? Seems like if there is a risk, it's in having the eggshell break into the uncooked egg before cooking -- see question 2 below!

Second - I notice that my eggshells are very hard. Much harder than the local farm raised eggs I had been buying (and way harder than store bought.) I provide oyster shell on the side, and feed full flock. I'm having a very hard time cracking open my eggs without some of the eggshell getting into the uncooked egg. Not something I have a problem with until using my own eggs in cooking?

Is the very strong eggshell an issue, or do I just need to figure out?

Thanks for the advice!

Don't wash your eggs it will rewien the egg outside layer of the shell. Are you New to this chicken stuff.

 

[NHMountainMan]

My chickens eggs are all the same from pullets to hens. The shells never changed, hard shells are a sign of a good laying flock. Brittle shells are a sign that your flock is lacking something.

Got it - thx

 

[NHMountainMan]

Don't wash your eggs it will rewien the egg outside layer of the shell. Are you New to this chicken stuff.

yup - a newbie. I don't wash them for storage. I was asking about just before cooking, when the bloom is no longer needed.

 

[FortCluck]

Don't wash them with cold water either because that makes bacteria enter the egg. Wash with warm water like room temp. When you wash with cold water it makes the egg contract and it sucks in everything. It's something I learned from a local farm when I bought pullets years ago.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

There is no harm in washing or rinsing the egg just before you use it if you want to. The main reason not to wash eggs, in my understanding, is if you intend to hatch them, or if you want to store them for fairly long periods of time on your counter. If you wash them right away, store them in the fridge. But even so, they are not going to go bad overnight. They are going to be okay for at least a month, probably, whether unwashed on a coolish counter or washed in the fridge. That's my understanding and experience anyway, others may disagree. Enjoy!