Newbie Egg Questions

[Rookie chicken gal]

I’m new at this as well....I have been told by the farmers around here not to wash the eggs bc they have a coating on them that keeps bacteria out and there is really no reason to wash them if you pick up the eggs right away. I know my girls lay mid morning so I go out about noon and they are done I grab the eggs and put them in the basket on my counter.

 

[RLynch]

We don't wash but simply rinse our eggs if they visually 'look' dirty. They stay on the counter until used and if we are not keeping up with the girls production we put them in a carton once there is a dozen, and the carton goes in the frig and numbered to keep the rotation. As far as your hard shell problem, try cracking them on a blunt surface like the flat surface of the kitchen counter...if your not washing or rinsing as they come in, ALWAYS wash them before cracking! No reason to have chicken fecal matter in your food.

 

[MissouriDogMom]

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

My advice would be a quick rinse in lukewarm water prior to cracking them. Someone already said that I think. As for the hard shells, perhaps you could try withholding the oyster shell supplement and see if it makes a difference. Again someone said it's better to have hard shells than not, though. It's a sign that the egg is well protected and came from a healthy hen. I never give oyster shell, only All Flock or Layer Pellets, and also some cracked corn. If you read the ingredients, you'll see whether oyster shell or calcium is already added, making it unnecessary. Good luck. It's a great hobby, but the biggest obstacle is predator control.

 

[MyLittleBarnyard]

My eggs go directly from the nest to the fridge. I may scrape off any little chunks of nesting materials or waste beforehand and only wash really dirty ones before cracking.

My duck egg shells are always harder to crack than my chicken eggs. They each have access to oyster shells mixed into their feed.

 

[NHMountainMan]

I smack mine on the flat stove top, and I don't seem to get any shells.

I’m a flat counter top cracker. But I struggle with finesse- so there are many tiny shell pieces to pick out. Kind of a bull in a china shop...

 

[jeansweezey]

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.

I stopped giving my chickens their eggshells after reading that there is bacteria on the shells that the chickens should not ingest. I don't wash my eggs and I put them in the fridge. I sell them and haven't had any complaints.

 

[aart]

I stopped giving my chickens their eggshells after reading that there is bacteria on the shells that the chickens should not ingest.

Naahhh...same bacteria that they walk on, scratch in, eat off of, and dust bathe in.

 

[Peggsblueinc]

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.

I have an issue with one hen. Everyone has perfect shells but hers are thin. I put the oyster shells in their food but they are still thin.

 

[FortCluck]

Naahhh...same bacteria that they walk on, scratch in, eat off of, and dust bathe in.

Thanks for saying this. I give them their shells because it's their preference. They don't like oyster shell.

 

[FortCluck]

I stopped giving my chickens their eggshells after reading that there is bacteria on the shells that the chickens should not ingest. I don't wash my eggs and I put them in the fridge. I sell them and haven't had any complaints.

This is false. The bacteria that's on the shells would already be in their system anyways. They put worse things in their mouths. If chickens are stopped from being around certain bacteria, they'll get sick a lot easier because they have zero immunity built up. Better to build their immune systems instead of trying to prevent bacteria.