To wash or not to wash eggs? That is the ?

[our girls12]

sometimes my eggs are disgusting. poop and sometimes broken egg so yolk and hay from nesting boxes stuck on them. I read not to wash eggs because they have film on them which helps keep out bacteria. I throw them away when they get dirty because I give them to neighbors but don't feel comfortable handing them something that looks so bad. Also some of my neighbors are English and keep eggs on the counter (not refrigerated). Any advice?

 

[PirateGirl]

I really wouldn’t feed them back to your flock as they will get the taste for egg and maybe even start eating there own after they have laid them.

I have been doing this based on the advice of others on here. Scrambled eggs are often recommended as a protein treat for chickens and ducks and crushed eggshells may be a good calcium supplement in addition to oyster shell. I try not to throw much of anything away. I may re-evaluate if I ever have an egg eater, but crushed and cooked they aren't exactly recognizable.

 

[PirateGirl]

If they are really bad, I sometimes feed them back to the flock, but don't just throw them away.

I only give away the cleanest I have. If they are really dirty I either wash and refrigerate or wash immediately before consumption. If I wash them I tell the person they need to go in the fridge. If I know a person well I might ask if they mind the occasional dirty egg and just tell them to rinse with warm water before cooking. Surprisingly many people don't mind. My one friend was just thrilled to have fresh eggs and was like oh yeah I know, my mom has chickens, and she was fine with a dirty egg or two.

 

[Amy 4]

If they are really bad, I sometimes feed them back to the flock, but don't just throw them away.

I only give away the cleanest I have. If they are really dirty I either wash and refrigerate or wash immediately before consumption. If I wash them I tell the person they need to go in the fridge. If I know a person well I might ask if they mind the occasional dirty egg and just tell them to rinse with warm water before cooking. Surprisingly many people don't mind. My one friend was just thrilled to have fresh eggs and was like oh yeah I know, my mom has chickens, and she was fine with a dirty egg or two.

I really wouldn’t feed them back to your flock as they will get the taste for egg and maybe even start eating there own after they have laid them.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I have found if I keep up on clean nesting material in the boxes & daily collection it really cuts down on dirty eggs. BUT sometimes they just get poopy. If they are really bad I pitch them. If its a spot or two I use a Scott's green scrubby to dry buff the "dirt" off. I have heard of using and paper too.

^^^^this^^^^

Keeping the nest boxes clean is important as is daily collection.

I also discourage hens sleeping in nests.

Making sure roosts are higher than nests takes care of that.

 

[RWise]

I have feed raw eggs back to the flock, it does not cause egg eaters. I have never had an egg eater, unless there was a broken egg, then they will certainly clean it up.
I do not wash the eggs, they set on the counter at room temp, I may get the wild idea to hatch some,,,,

 

[lazy gardener]

I really wouldn’t feed them back to your flock as they will get the taste for egg and maybe even start eating there own after they have laid them.

This is an old wives tale. @Beekissed has been raising poultry for 40+ years, and she has never had an egg eater. She will toss whole eggs onto the ground, and the birds will have the expected feeding frenzy. However, in all her years of poultry management, this has not led to "egg eating. I do cook the eggs that go back to my flock, and routinely give them a bowl full of egg shells. i make no effort to disguise the fact that they are getting egg shells. If I do any thing to prep the shells, I simply stomp on them when I put them down. But, often they get egg shells which are straight from the kitchen.

Birds will eat weak shelled eggs, shell less eggs. When they are starting up after a winter break, there are more likely to be weak eggs, so, it can be a "seasonal" issue.

I have feed raw eggs back to the flock, it does not cause egg eaters. I have never had an egg eater, unless there was a broken egg, then they will certainly clean it up.
I do not wash the eggs, they set on the counter at room temp, I may get the wild idea to hatch some,,,,

I do lightly wash eggs for my customers. I have some customers who insist on unwashed eggs. And I will happily comply if doing so will not cause stress to anyone else. I had one customer at work who wanted her eggs unwashed, but I told her that if I did that, she needed to not put them in the employee refrigerator. I find it easier to wash eggs to ensure that there are no skid marks. I keep a special carton for any eggs that are not "premium" for my own use, and sell all the best ones.

 

[BeanTater]

I have found if I keep up on clean nesting material in the boxes & daily collection it really cuts down on dirty eggs. BUT sometimes they just get poopy. If they are really bad I pitch them. If its a spot or two I use a Scott's green scrubby to dry buff the "dirt" off. I have heard of using and paper too.

 

[Kes]

I refrigerate mine right away just because it's easier. My basement has an otherwise unused mini kitchen in it so eggs that have any smears on them get a quick rinse in the sink and are immediately stored in the basement refrigerator. Most of the time though they're really clean or just have a piece of bedding stuck to them, so I just refrigerate them as-is and let people know that they should rinse them before using.

Any that are "ugly" I keep for myself. My EEs seem really sensitive to calcium so if the egg has a lot of calcium deposits on it or is misshapen at all, I'll eat it since it usually makes the shell thin in some areas and I don't want people to feel uncertain about them.

Store-bought eggs are old and usually have tons of micro/hairline cracks in them, especially the larger sizes. Your eggs could be caked in poop when you gather them and a quick wash will probably still make them cleaner than any at the supermarket.
I would just remember that excessive poop on the eggs can sometimes mean worms or a nesting box that needs cleaned.

 

[PirateGirl]

Oh I thought you ment you where giving them back to them as just a whole egg

Nope, I crush it, either raw in their food bowl, or I crush it and cook it for a minute in the microwave so it's not recognizable.