Washing eggs

[patvetzal]

I know that if you water wash your eggs you wash the "bloom" off. But just what is it and why would it be so bad? Six of our seven hens all use the same nest box and the eggs do get a little messy. Right now we are washing the eggs as they come out of the egg cartons, but it would be easier to wash them before they go IN....

 

[scratch'n'peck]

As i understand it, the "bloom" helps keep the pores of the shell sealed and reduces evaporation, thus keeping the eggs fresh longer. I also wait to wash them until just before using, and I do my best to scrape/rub off debris before putting them in a carton. Although I have read on threads about other folks washing their eggs before storing them in the fridge.

 

[Judy]

You really shouldn't be getting that many poopy eggs. Are they sleeping in the nest boxes?

 

[prairiehousewife]

I hear it's best to leave them, but I only get a few eggs and I use them pretty quickly, so I do wash my eggs first. When I had more eggs, I washed them with vinegar water and let them air dry. I don't like the idea of storing something covered in poo in the fridge with my fresh veggies.

 

[mistymeadowchicks]

Quote:
Ditto! I rinse the eggs if there's anything on them. Poo in the frig is just terribly unappealing! '

' The girls have plenty of nest boxes, but of course, they prefer to use the three favorites & after free-ranging, their feet are inevitably dirty. When they climb over the other eggs, they cover them w/ poo, dirt, whatever else they tracked back in from their morning outing. The last eggs laid are spotless and they get progressively dirtier the earlier they were laid. So cleaning is a must. Besides, according to the Ag Extension Agent & the Egg Council, rinsed & refrigerated, eggs are still good for at least 4 weeks.

 

[makybe]

I just wipe mine down with kitchen paper.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

If you're not going to be keeping them for weeks and months this bloom thing is way over rated.

I wash all of my eggs before they go into the refrigerator. They're all in a basket. I pour very warm soapy water over them in the sink then wash each one clean under warm running water before they go into another basket to drain. The water should be at least twenty degrees warmer than the eggs, but not so hot as to be uncomfortable. The warm water causes the insides of the egg to expand slightly and keeps water from being drawn in through the membrane.

 

[patvetzal]

Some are poopy, others muddy, most covered in woodchips.....Its still mostly cold, wet and muddy in parts of their yard. As soon as the grass dries a bit the yard fence gets moved so they can get at it. Most of them are new to us birds and still haven't got used to the idea of going outside even. By June they should be free ranging if our retriever aggrees with the idea.
When one of our older birds gets out he herds her back to where he thinks she should be...Last summer he was still a pup and the birds would put the run on HIM..

I think I will try the warm water idea, maybe they will even be easier to peel sooner that way...

 

[Minniechickmama]

Because I am selling most of my eggs to those folks around town who want fresh ones, I feel the need to wash them before I put them in the frig. The reason being, it is spring and muddy and poopy all over here and in their coop that sets on the ground. Once my new building is done and they are going to be having many more cleaner boxes and roosts to use, I don' think I will have as much need to do so. As long as they are dirty/poopy now, I will wash with water about 100-110 degrees and then a short (10 seconds or so) in a bleach rinse that has about a capful of bleach in a gallon of water, then set them to dry before putting in the carton for frig time. This was how the State recommends clean for hatching as well.
At the very least, I rinse under running water at that temp and rub off all the mess I can. Sometimes the shell still has some slight stain. (yes, I have some who sleep in their boxes, but I am working on that).


As for peeling, I had cooked up some hard boiled eggs just a couple of weeks ago and I had no problem peeling and they were that days eggs. I put them in the cold water in the pan, then I turn on the heat. I bring it to a rapid boil for 1-2 minutes, then leave them on the stove in the hot water for 20-minutes. The peeled like a dream! I even showed my son how if you crack the shell all over, peel open both ends about the size of a quarter, you can actually blow them out of the shell. I couldn't believe how good these eggs peeled. I usually have a mess on my hands trying to get the shell off the white it is sticking to.
I have tried using vinegar in the water before too and it didn't make any difference.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The bloom is to help keep bacteria out. Over-rated? By some people, yes. It is not a perfect barrier but it does help.

The way I do it, if the eggs are clean, they go on my kitchen counter. If they are dirty, they get washed and put in the refrigerator. I do not put dirty eggs in the refrigerator and I do not store dirty eggs on the counter. The dirt on the eggs can harbor bacteria bacteria that can enter the egg shell, even if the bloom is still there.