Speckles part of bloom?

[taylacline]

I only have 6 hens and 3 of them lay speckled eggs. They are all different breeds but when I wash the eggs the speckles just wipe right off. Is that normal? I just assumed the speckles were apart of the egg shell not the bloom. Or am I washing eggs too roughly? I use a soft rag, warm water, and a dash of white vinegar. Should I just be lightly rinsing the eggs instead?

 

[3KillerBs]

If an egg is clean it doesn't necessarily *need* washing before use. The bloom protects it.

But many people feel better about washing eggs.

Personally, I only wash eggs with visible dirt/poop on them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Oh okay, I've read several places that they had to be washed before using no matter how clean they are. I've read that if the eggs are clean from the nest you can leave them on the counter. If they are dirty you can wash and store in the fridge. But either situation wash before using. I give them to family and friends and wash so they don't have to worry about it.

But then again everything you read is just something someone else has said so its hard to know what is best.

I'm new at chickens and just want to be able to have safe eggs

Washing may be required by state law if you sell eggs, but otherwise it is optional for your own use. Again, do what you feel comfortable with. Only "hard" rule is if you do wash, the eggs should be refrigerated as the bloom is no longer intact to protect the egg's contents.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When the egg shell is deposited in the shell gland, it is white for brown eggs. Look on the inside when you crack a brown egg and remove that membrane, you will see the white color. The brown is pigment laid on top of that white eggshell in the last 30 minutes or so in the shell gland before it is laid. Those speckles are put there at the same time. As the egg comes out, the hen coats it with a liquid that quickly dries. That liquid is the bloom, put on after the brown and speckles are put on.

You can rub that brown off with your thumb if you try without washing it, that takes the bloom off too. When you rub it with the wash cloth you take the bloom off and part of the brown, that's why it turns a lighter tan.

That pigment does not come off with water but bloom can. If you rinse it off I'd refrigerate the egg, whether you rub or not.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Washing may be required by state law if you sell eggs, but otherwise it is optional for your own use. Again, do what you feel comfortable with. Only "hard" rule is if you do wash, the eggs should be refrigerated as the bloom is no longer intact to protect the egg's contents.

I saw a video about a guy in Sweden or Finland or something who could only legally sell clean eggs in his country, and could not legally wash them, either! Clean, unwashed eggs only. So working any kinks out of his nesting boxes was really important for him.

I guess I took that message to heart, and I don't believe we should settle for dirty eggs on a regular basis. I'm happy that most of my eggs are quite clean. Save brushing off a bit of bedding or picking off a piece of down lol But if I were having to routinely wash gross-looking eggs, that would be a sign to me, I need to revisit what's going on in the coop / run. Just my 2 cents.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If an egg is clean it doesn't necessarily *need* washing before use. The bloom protects it.

But many people feel better about washing eggs.

Personally, I only wash eggs with visible dirt/poop on them.

x2. Do what you feel comfortable with, but many of us don't wash eggs before use. Even though I refrigerate my eggs I feel better if the bloom is left intact. If an egg is that badly soiled I'll most likely feed it to the dogs instead.

As far as the original question, the speckles are extra pigment, that's all.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

I’ve always kept them on the counter and wash before I use them, unless they’re messy then I wash immediately and refrigerate

^^^This. As long as they are clean, I collect 12 on the counter before throwing them in the fridge. Unless they were laid in the dirt or otherwise dirty, then I wash them and have a bowl for them in the fridge so they get cooked and eaten first. Then I will rinse each egg in warm water just before cracking into it. That way anything in a carton in my fridge looks clean and pretty enough to give away, but I try to remember to tell people they are unwashed eggs.

I have noticed that little bits of bedding will get stick to a thick speckle, so it seems like those are extra deposits of pigment that go on at the end, so they sometimes take longer to dry than the rest of the bloom. I could see the smoother, flush speckles rubbing off, but heavier, raised speckles might not. I don't usually scrub them with a washcloth anyway.

In fact, what I have noticed at times is that a particular egg I get with larger, sort of greyish speckles - when wet - the speckles turn a very pretty bronze color! So it's interesting, like how a heavy bloom can make an egg look pink, a heavy speckle can also take on a chalky or greyed out hue.

I find the variation really amazing. And also so charming and fun! I personally would avoid scrubbing eggs so hard the speckles come off. Let a customer do that themselves

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Here's a couple pictures. You can see when I just lightly rinsed they are speckled. Then the one I rubbed a little harder with a cloth and some of the speckles and color came off. I only did in that one spot but that would happen if I did the whole egg. And then the last picture is the egg dry after just a quick rinse. Its like the speckles get covered up again? I'm just curious now to whats happening really.

So those must be being deposited similar to how a Marans deposits her super dark color. The egg is brown underneath, but then her super dark extra layer of pigment, deposited last, will wipe or scratch off fairly easily, so they can't be handled too much, or washed/scrubbed obviously, or they would completely lose that hallmark color.

That cloudy color change as the egg dries must have something to do with the precocity of the bloom / cuticle, where the outermost layer has like a chalky consistency when dry. I have some too where the speckles are super vibrant when wet, but as soon as it dries, it sort of clouds over again.

Even though we are just looking at an eggshell and see the "surface" there truly are several layers of different processes going on there. Pretty neat!

 

[sourland]

It's the bloom that you are removing. Doing so makes the eggs more pervious to bacterial infiltration.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I don't wash eggs until I use them, if they are really dirty I give them to the dog.