question about cleaning eggs

[chickmomma03]

I go out every morning and check for eggs, right now I only have 1 laying. sometimes she slacks and doesn't lay until afternoon. They eggs don't LOOK dirty, but I should be washing them anyways right? What do you use to clean them? I've just been running it under water, but I'm not sure if it's enough, and when I start egg sharing/selling I don't want to do something wrong.

 

[Blooie]

Everyone is different. I don't wash the eggs I bring in. If there is a poop spot on one, I might wipe it off with a paper towel but that's it. I just bring them in, put them in cartons, and pop them in the fridge. I also mark the date that egg was laid on the rounded end with a pencil, and on the outside of the carton as well. So if a carton holds eggs I gathered over a couple of days, the outside of the carton reflects that -
9/13 - 9/16 for example. Makes it easy to use up the older ones first, and my customers like knowing exactly how old their eggs are. They also know that I don't wash eggs.....I tell them to do that just before they use them.

 

[cypressdrake]

I am a breeder, so I hatch all my eggs. Washing is not good for hatching eggs. This being said, I don't wash an egg unless it is dirty. When I do wash an egg, I only wash the dirty area and place them on a towel to dry. I don't rub on them. Rubbing and washing will remove the protective coating that preserves the egg.

 

[chickmomma03]

so that "wet" right after the egg comes out doesn't have any bacteria I need to worry about?

I eventually plan to hatch some of the eggs too (I have a rooster). I'm going to have to learn how to tell the difference in a freshly laid infertile versus fertile too.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I run mine under really hot water, quick, only rubbing if there's poop, too much dirt I give them back to the chickens, then I let mine air dry.

 

[Blooie]

so that "wet" right after the egg comes out doesn't have any bacteria I need to worry about?

I eventually plan to hatch some of the eggs too (I have a rooster). I'm going to have to learn how to tell the difference in a freshly laid infertile versus fertile too.

That "wet" is the eggs' protection! It's called the bloom, and as it dries it forms a bacteria proof barrier between the outside air and the inside of the egg. It seals those pores in the egg that would allow bacteria in to kill the embryo in a developing chick, and it's natural protection. That's why I don't wash the eggs I gather, except with a dry paper towel to get occasional spots off.

 

[pdirt]

Quote:
X2, if you do wash your eggs, be sure to wash them very well. Not having that bloom protection opens them up to both good and bad bacteria getting inside the egg. Not a big deal if you cook your eggs thoroughly. But if you like undercooked eggs, like I do, it's a small risk to take with washed eggs. Storebought eggs are very thoroughly washed/sanitized and then put in relatively sanitary new egg cartons. We use the same cartons over and over again and I wouldn't risk storing washed eggs in them.

We don't bother washing them, other than scraping off a poopy spot. If we get a really poopy one, I just toss it on the ground and let the girls eat it up.


Interesting article on how eggs are sold in the USA vs. the UK...washed eggs are ILLEGAL in the UK:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaar...egal-in-a-british-supermarket-and-vice-versa/

 

[pdirt]

Also, the only way to really tell a fertile egg from an infertile one is to crack it open. Fertile eggs usually have a small white dot on the yolk. Another way to get close to knowing is to watch your rooster's mating behavior. Does he have favorite hens? Is there one or two hens you never see him mating with? Assuming you know which hens lay which eggs, you will have a pretty good idea as to which eggs are fertile.

 

[chickmomma03]

Quote: Thanks! My son's father said "eww" you picked it up wet, you need to wash your hands. I picked one up I had JUST watched Ghost lay (her 2nd one, now she seems to stay in until it dries then hops out). It was really neat to see! They're coming out really clean overall. I haven't seen any poop smears as of yet.

Quote: I was hoping if I candled I might be able to tell. It seems right now that Ghost (my Leghorn) is the one he likes to mount the most, but I've seen him mount Orpi (my other buff) and try to mount a couple of the other girls, but I don't know if he's been successful or not. I'm pretty sure he's finished it off with Ghost and Orpi. Orpi hasn't started laying yet though.

 

[Blooie]

Cracking a couple is really it for telling if they are fertile or not. Egg yolks have a little white dot on them. If the dot is a "bullseye" then it's fertile. If it's just a dot, infertile. There are some good pictures on here showing fertile vs infertile eggs. I'll see if I can't find a couple of links - somebody quicker than I am might find that info first, which is just fine too.