Preparing eggs for selling?

[rubyrogue]

I sell my chicken eggs. I am now getting a surplus of duck eggs and would like to begin selling them. My chicken eggs are clean I change their nests out once or twice a week maybe once in a blue moon i get a dirty egg. My duck eggs are.... sometimes clean but mostly not so much. I clean their boxes 2-3 times a week get out as early as possible to gather them and use a nylon stripper brush to get all the bigger stuff off. I washed some for my own use and there was a distinct smell when I was washing. Never notice that with the hens eggs. How do you all prepare your duck eggs for market? Can I use a damp towel? Can I use a bit of 10% beach solution? Do you wash yours at all? I read ina book that duck eggs only last about 10 days if you wash them? I am at a loss. I stopped washing my hens eggs and just told people to rinse under warm water before use.

 

[LuckyDuck411]

Quote:
I'm not an expert on duck eggs, we don't even sell ours. But I use a small scrub brush, mild dish soap, and warm water on our eggs every morning I collect them. They were laying them under their duck house and they would get dirty, now they are back to laying in the duck house and not as dirty, but I still use the same cleaning method. Anyway...I've had eggs 3 weeks old that were still good. Any extras I give away to our parents, friends, or the neighbors who take care of them if we go on vacation. No complaints from anyone so far.

 

[Born A Duck Lover]

What I do with my eggs is take a sponge with a regular abrasive pad and dish-washing soap, and scrub them clean. I have always found that to work for me. And yes, they do smell. But it's not so obvious unless your hands smell after washing the eggs or if you hold an egg up to your nose. I wash my eggs because they are rather unappetizing if I don't wash them, often with spots of poo on them, and there is no way I would sell anyone an unwashed egg. Personally, I just can't sit easy with the idea of duck poo residue, however small, sitting in my refrigerator.

Yet even with washing them I have had them last until about a month and still be fine. However, I wouldn't push it further than that and I try to use month-old eggs immediately. I don't sell eggs that old unless the customer is aware that the eggs need to be used right away and still wants them. Also, when that happens I only charge about half-price for them in case any of them are bad. I always write the date the eggs were laid on the top of the egg in pencil. I have never had any complaints about my eggs and my customers all love them. Currently I am selling eggs to a young lady who has a home bakery and she thinks they are just amazing.

Good luck with your eggs; I hope everything works out for you!

 

[Amiga]

Our state ag department has recommendations that I follow, which are to just dry-scrubbie off the eggs and leave the bloom on. No water.
Most of the eggs are nice and clean. The ones that are a little schmutzy, we keep.

 

[The Duck ABC's]

It wasn't clear if you want to sell them for consumption or hatching. Check with your state on eggs for consumption, you may be required to wash them. For hatching I would not do a thing and leave it to the buyer. They can wash them and incubate with 10% more humidity. I found the best way to have halfway clean duck eggs is to use pine shavings in their boxes and clean them daily. I use a kitty scoop to get out the dirt so I do not have to replace all of the pine bedding in the boxes.

 

[rubyrogue]

They would be for eating. I looked at my state site but it only talks about candling and liscense. I got a new scrubbie today so will see if that works a bit better.