Where do eggs come from?

[Hatrick]

So um, call me a type A personality but now that I have my "girls" I've realized that, well...eggs come out of my chickens backsides. Which up close and personal...is kind of gross. I've been told not to wash or rub my eggs before eating, is this right? Should I just get over it?

 

[MoodyChicken]

New to chickens?

You'll get it over it. Just remember that you don't eat the shell and the contents and safe and clean from bacteria.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

You don't have to wash them off but some people do. I just use a soft damp cloth and gently wipe them before I put them in my egg basket.

Maybe someone else will have something to add

 

[mwdh1]

I guess if it bothers you too much you could always wash each egg right before you crack it open. But leaving the "bloom" on the egg will help it stay fresh longer.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
You don't eat the shell?? Now you tell me. Now I have to start all over.

Imp-no wonder I don't like omelettes

 

[ArizonaNessa]

 

[Judy]

Quote:
You don't eat the shell?? Now you tell me. Now I have to start all over.

Imp-no wonder I don't like omelettes

If it makes you feel any better, the inner pathways are completely separate except at the very end, and then there is a valve that closes off the poop pathway when an egg is laid. Eggs usually have no poop on them unless the hen sleeps in the nest. That's why we help them learn to sleep on the roosts, if they don't get it naturally. We also put roosts higher than nests so they will prefer sleeping on roosts. If hens weren't naturally good at keeping poop off eggs, they would have a lot less luck reproducing.

If you just have to wash it, then hold it under running water which is warmer than the egg is. That way, any bacterial movement will be toward the outside of the egg, not the other way around. I never wash mine.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Quote:
You don't eat the shell?? Now you tell me. Now I have to start all over.

Imp-no wonder I don't like omelettes

LOL Hey... sometimes the obvious needs to be pointed out.

 

[Imp]

Well, a smack upside my head helps too.

Imp-Now has the sharpest teeth in the state

<- see

 

[cmom]

I never wash the bloom off of my eggs until I use them. That's just my personal habit.