Oh new babies! I can see how chickens are definitely addicting!!Karen, I love your enthusiasm! I makes me smile! Woohoo! An egg!
I am watching a bunch of mine hatch out this morning. Too cute! I sometimes wonder if I will ever loose the same enthusiasm...probably not. lol.
Wow!!! Bless you for writing that all out for me! That sounds like a great system. I agree that too clean equals lower immunity. But I also don't want to go down the sick child path. Those egg baskets are expensive. Agreed. And I'm guessing you have WAY more then my 6 little hens. Cause that sounds like an operation! I used really warm not hot water and paper towels to clean my egg. Hoping for another today so the kids each get one! I just wasn't expecting any so soon!!Yay!!!! First egg!!!e Super exciting moment!!! Congratulations!!! Precocious pullets will start laying at about 16 weeks. So she is right on schedule.
My experience is pullets are sometimes surprised by their first few eggs. They do prefer to lay in a nesting box, but also sometimes form a habit of laying wherever they put their first eggs ... so it is good they have nesting boxes available now. She will likely find a nesting box next time. Practice Eggs (as I call them) can be TINY! They can also be GIGANTIC. They do even out over time, and also gradually get bigger (second-season eggs are usually larger than first-season eggs). I think the smallest egg I ever got was 9 grams (a fart egg), and the biggest was 104 grams (half-again as large as a Jumbo egg), though I don't believe either of those was a first egg. Most of our first eggs were on the small side. About your egg washing question: I do wash eggs because I sell them and have no clue about the immune resistance of the people who will eat my eggs or the other foods stored in the same refrigerator as the eggs they buy from me. If an egg does have something harmful on it and then goes into a customer's refrigerator, the fans in the refrigerator could *possibly* blow the harmful stuff onto other things in the refrigerator (produce, beverages) and could *possibly* be ingested. So to be extra super safe on behalf of my customers, I wash all the eggs I sell. Some of my customers have thanked me profusely for making sure the eggs are "nice and clean." Other people still won't eat farm fresh eggs because they perceive them as "dirty" or "gross" or don't believe that they were refrigerated quickly enough. These people do not make me cry, but I might occasionally roll my eyes behind their backs.
Eggs I eat or cook in my own house? I don't worry about washing eggs that I eat or give raw to the dog, even if the eggs are dirty-ish (if an egg had a big hunk of poo on it, I'd do my best to not let that fall into the pancake batter, but ... meh ... ). I figure that as I have a lot of contact with the chickens and their coop, I have already incorporated all their germs into my system so it would take a mega dose to sicken me. Plus that, nobody in our house is so young or old that I have to worry about less efficient immune systems. Immunities are about exposure, and I've certainly been exposed to all the chicken/duck/turkey/dog/cat stuff I've got around here. They've done studies of populations like certain Amish who live in a barn/house where infants are exposed from birth to the animals, and those kids are crazy healthy with fewer allergies and stuff ... I don't believe being super "clean" is being super "healthy."
Of course I take precautions with my coop and feed to lessen the chances that something evil like a dangerous strain of salmonella gets into the chickens' environment, or that there are habitats for pests. My birds don't get old food, etc., no standing water ... plenty of fresh air and sunshine. But unless the flock is tested, you never know. So ...
Egg Washing (short answer): There is a LOT of info floating around about how to wash eggs, and regulations vary by locality. I take regulations seriously. Besides doing my best to keep eggs clean in the first place, the two most useful tips I can offer about washing eggs are: 1) Wash eggs in water that is warmer than the egg; 2) Do not submerge eggs in water during any phase of washing them, not even for one second. These things were stressed to me when I called the egg inspector for Oregon ... and it makes me really wonder why the "egg wash" sold at the feed store recommends soaking eggs in a solution of the wash + water (commercial eggs are "dry washed"). If I had to offer a third tip I'd say: Don't put dirty eggs in the refrigerator. And a fourth tip would be to check the local regulations if you intend to sell eggs.
My egg washing system (long answer):
* I gather eggs into a basket throughout the day and keep them in a protected place until the end of the day. I like them to stay dry and not get too hot or to freeze.
* Before I start washing eggs, I THOROUGHLY wash my kitchen sink and counter, and run the water so it is good and hot, making sure that the water in the spray nozzle is also hot. The washing water needs to be hot (but not scalding) so the eggs expand during the washing process instead of contracting. The expansion has two big benefits ... it pushes any dirt out of the pores of the eggshell, and it makes finding any cracks in the egg a lot easier. If cold water is used, the egg contracts, which creates a vacuum inside the egg and stuff is sucked into the egg (counter-productive), and it is also harder to see the cracks.
* Then I put a washing basket into each side of my sink. I use something plastic and mesh so it drains well and can be sprayed with water from the sides -- as I find the official plastic coated wire egg washing baskets insultingly expensive (and nobody buys me some), I'm using small mesh garbage cans I got at the Dollar Store. I put the clean-looking eggs into the basket in the left side of my sink, and the dirty-looking eggs into the basket in the right side of the sink.
* Then I check that the water is flowing hot from the spray nozzle and spray down the eggs in both baskets really well, making sure to spray from the top and the sides (I turn the basket as I spray).
* Then I take a special eggs-only scrubbing pad or sponge and take each dirty-looking egg individually from the right, individually and scrub it under running water, then put the freshly-scrubbed egg in with the clean-looking eggs in the basket on the left. Cracked eggs go into a bowl and I use those to feed the dog. The scrubber gets thoroughly rinsed if it gets any gunk on it, and changed if it is visibly dirty. You could also use paper towels to scrub the eggs and that would probably be more sanitary, but I don't find they clean as well as a scrubbing pad or sponge. Use your best judgment when choosing your scrubber.
* When all the eggs are transferred, I put the scrubber beside the basket in the bottom of the left side of the sink. Then I take a large plastic bowl and fill it with hot water and a splash of bleach (needs to be a specific kind of bleach to avoid scents and such, but lots of other sanitizing agents are approved for commercial egg washing solutions, so you've got choices), then I slowly pour this water over the basket of eggs, making sure to pour over all the eggs and the scrubbing sponge and not pour so fast that the bleach water pools in the sink. Note: even the clean-looking eggs get a sanitizing rinse.
* Then the eggs get a final rinse with fresh hot water from the spray nozzle. Each time I start using the spray nozzle I make sure the water is good and hot before I point it at the eggs. The pipes cool down amazingly quickly, and so does the water.
* Then I transfer the eggs to freshly-laundered (and sanitized) towels laid out beside the sink to air dry. Paper towels would also work.
* When the eggs are dry they are put into cartons and put into the egg refrigerator in a particular order so the older eggs are used first.
* The sinks are re-cleaned, the sponge is rinsed and squeezed and put in a special spot so it dries between uses and doesn't ever get used for anything but eggs, the baskets are cleaned, and everything is left to air dry. Resist the urge to towel-dry eggs and equipment as that isn't very sanitary. Change out the scrubber often.
And I see you're in Sherwood! We're practically neighbors. I'm downtown Newberg behind the Cameo.Yay!!!! First egg!!!
Eggs I eat or cook in my own house? I don't worry about washing eggs that I eat or give raw to the dog, even if the eggs are dirty-ish (if an egg had a big hunk of poo on it, I'd do my best to not let that fall into the pancake batter, but ... meh ... ). I figure that as I have a lot of contact with the chickens and their coop, I have already incorporated all their germs into my system so it would take a mega dose to sicken me. Plus that, nobody in our house is so young or old that I have to worry about less efficient immune systems. Immunities are about exposure, and I've certainly been exposed to all the chicken/duck/turkey/dog/cat stuff I've got around here. They've done studies of populations like certain Amish who live in a barn/house where infants are exposed from birth to the animals, and those kids are crazy healthy with fewer allergies and stuff ... I don't believe being super "clean" is being super "healthy."
Of course I take precautions with my coop and feed to lessen the chances that something evil like a dangerous strain of salmonella gets into the chickens' environment, or that there are habitats for pests. My birds don't get old food, etc., no standing water ... plenty of fresh air and sunshine. But unless the flock is tested, you never know. So ...
Egg Washing (short answer): There is a LOT of info floating around about how to wash eggs, and regulations vary by locality. I take regulations seriously. Besides doing my best to keep eggs clean in the first place, the two most useful tips I can offer about washing eggs are: 1) Wash eggs in water that is warmer than the egg; 2) Do not submerge eggs in water during any phase of washing them, not even for one second. These things were stressed to me when I called the egg inspector for Oregon ... and it makes me really wonder why the "egg wash" sold at the feed store recommends soaking eggs in a solution of the wash + water (commercial eggs are "dry washed"). If I had to offer a third tip I'd say: Don't put dirty eggs in the refrigerator. And a fourth tip would be to check the local regulations if you intend to sell eggs.
My egg washing system (long answer):
* I gather eggs into a basket throughout the day and keep them in a protected place until the end of the day. I like them to stay dry and not get too hot or to freeze.
* Before I start washing eggs, I THOROUGHLY wash my kitchen sink and counter, and run the water so it is good and hot, making sure that the water in the spray nozzle is also hot. The washing water needs to be hot (but not scalding) so the eggs expand during the washing process instead of contracting. The expansion has two big benefits ... it pushes any dirt out of the pores of the eggshell, and it makes finding any cracks in the egg a lot easier. If cold water is used, the egg contracts, which creates a vacuum inside the egg and stuff is sucked into the egg (counter-productive), and it is also harder to see the cracks.
* Then I put a washing basket into each side of my sink. I use something plastic and mesh so it drains well and can be sprayed with water from the sides -- as I find the official plastic coated wire egg washing baskets insultingly expensive (and nobody buys me some
* Then I check that the water is flowing hot from the spray nozzle and spray down the eggs in both baskets really well, making sure to spray from the top and the sides (I turn the basket as I spray).
* Then I take a special eggs-only scrubbing pad or sponge and take each dirty-looking egg individually from the right, individually and scrub it under running water, then put the freshly-scrubbed egg in with the clean-looking eggs in the basket on the left. Cracked eggs go into a bowl and I use those to feed the dog. The scrubber gets thoroughly rinsed if it gets any gunk on it, and changed if it is visibly dirty. You could also use paper towels to scrub the eggs and that would probably be more sanitary, but I don't find they clean as well as a scrubbing pad or sponge. Use your best judgment when choosing your scrubber.
* When all the eggs are transferred, I put the scrubber beside the basket in the bottom of the left side of the sink. Then I take a large plastic bowl and fill it with hot water and a splash of bleach (needs to be a specific kind of bleach to avoid scents and such, but lots of other sanitizing agents are approved for commercial egg washing solutions, so you've got choices), then I slowly pour this water over the basket of eggs, making sure to pour over all the eggs and the scrubbing sponge and not pour so fast that the bleach water pools in the sink. Note: even the clean-looking eggs get a sanitizing rinse.
* Then the eggs get a final rinse with fresh hot water from the spray nozzle. Each time I start using the spray nozzle I make sure the water is good and hot before I point it at the eggs. The pipes cool down amazingly quickly, and so does the water.
* Then I transfer the eggs to freshly-laundered (and sanitized) towels laid out beside the sink to air dry. Paper towels would also work.
* When the eggs are dry they are put into cartons and put into the egg refrigerator in a particular order so the older eggs are used first.
* The sinks are re-cleaned, the sponge is rinsed and squeezed and put in a special spot so it dries between uses and doesn't ever get used for anything but eggs, the baskets are cleaned, and everything is left to air dry. Resist the urge to towel-dry eggs and equipment as that isn't very sanitary. Change out the scrubber often.
thanks again for the advice!!
Going to check out the poultry show in Eugene that is coming up. Do they typically have chicks there or hatching eggs? I have finally decided on a breed..Salmon Faverolles. ^_^ So hopefully, those won't be as hard to find as the other breed I was originally interested in.
We finally made it here in Terrebonne, Oregon from Florida and loving it here. It took us 11 days on the road to get here. The long road trip was very much worth it as we got to see how beautiful our country is.
We are working on the coop and yard and then it will be time to get a flock.
