Egg Cleaning Process

[mattigil]

Hi all,

I think it's a good idea to have a recent thread on this matter for anyone who's new to chickens and poultry or just isn't as experienced as others.

How do you "clean" your chicken eggs?

If you have ducks in a separate run, how do you clean their eggs?



From experience, washing a chicken egg reduces the "shelf-life" of the egg as you are essentially removing or partially removing the natural bloom protective layer on the egg which prevents bacteria etc to get into the egg. I personally have stopped washing the eggs until just before wanting to cook etc, however this isn't really possible when you're wanting to sell your eggs as customers don't know about the "bloom" and expect clean eggs.

I've seen plenty of disinfectants on the market to dilute with water and wash the eggs, but never bought or tried any.

I have heard that some people use fine grit sand paper to clean the eggs and some use a dry sponge to clean the eggs, has anyone tried this or have any experience of this? This could remove the easier to clean dirt off the eggs, but we all know of eggs which have those hard to clean stains, what's your methods of cleaning?

Obviously the best way to have clean eggs is to initially have clean coops and nesting boxes which decreases (but doesn't stop) the number of dirty eggs.

Chickens aside, ducks can be even tougher depending on the breed and their environment in their runs. Ducks, specially domesticated breeds such as Khaki Campbells tend to lay their eggs anywhere and everywhere. This means that if there's a muddy area within their run, which more than likely there will be some when they have water containers/ponds/bathtubs/paddling pools etc, then their eggs end up getting covered in mud and unless you pick the egg up straight away, then that mud will dry up on the egg a bit. I've heard the bloom on duck eggs are a bit thicker but I'm not sure as I don't have a scientific source for this so not sure of the credibility. In regards with duck egg, has anyone got any experience with the cleaning process. I would imagine that duck eggs would be more ok with getting washed with water than chicken eggs due to them being waterfowl and obviously more prone to being around water sources and environments.


I'm also hoping to start selling some of our surplus eggs sometime in the future and like I mentioned earlier, customers would normally rather get clean eggs without any stains.

It would be really good to hear from you all on here as I'm sure myself and plenty of other would benefit from this discussion.

 

[dianefairhall]

Hi Matigil, I found this very interesting as I am having some problems in this area. I have had my 3 hens for just over a year and until recently had few problems with mucky eggs. I have been able to remove any blobs either with my fingernails or with damp kitchen paper. I have noticed that if you rub too hard the bloom disappears. Recently with the girls being banged up for avian flu they spend much more time in the coop and sometimes the eggs look more like spuds and are difficult to clean. I try to keep the nest clean but the hens never cease to amaze me with the amount of cr*p they produce. I don't want to sell eggs but I do give some to neighbours sometimes and don't want to embarrass myself by giving them dirty eggs. I hope people will join in the discussion.

 

[Icemaiden]

If you have to clean your eggs, use water that's warmer than the egg. I've occasionally needed to clean eggs with warm water on a square of kitchen roll, so I can only clean the soiled spot.

You're not supposed to sell eggs that've been cleaned if you're in the UK or Europe. Sell the clean ones & keep the others for yourself. Better still, get yourself a rollaway nestbox & dirty eggs will become a rarity.

In the USA, because of the poor conditions in which commercial flocks are kept, all eggs are cleaned. That's why Americans have to keep their eggs in the fridge. Because our not-cleaned eggs still have their natural protective coating, they don't need refrigerating.

Hope that helps.

 

[rick]

Hi Mattigil,
When we get mucky eggs it is usually because I haven't noticed that a hen has a clod of poop stuck to her bum feathers. Its not always easy to see under all that fluff. I must admit, I just trim it away because the feathers involved have hopelessly lost all condition and, in the warmer months, they dont need them anyway. Otherwise the dirt is coming from feet - I would imagine that would happen more often with ducks?
The cuticle on the egg is transparent - its put on over the pigment so any washing will probably remove it and give the egg a very short fridge shelf life. If your selling them then really you need them to be produced clean or sold with the understanding that is what liberated chicken eggs look like.
... even if they are laying in the colder months, its amazing how trimming away caked bottom feathers makes very little difference to the overall coverage.

 

[Margaid]

I agree with Icemaiden. I had rollaway nestboxes and never had any dirty eggs.

 

[Marigold]

Of course you also need to ensure that the hens aren’t sleeping in the nest boxes and pooing in there overnight. Hens which lay early, before you get there, will deposit the eggs in top of the overnight poo, or tread on it when going in to lay.
Agree with Rick about dirty bum feathers, but also dirty feet are another common cause. If the run has deep bedding and is poo picked daily, feet should stay dry and clean. Also the condition of the coop bedding is important, where the hens have to tread over the floor before getting to the nest boxes.
My present hens have chosen not to sleep in the coop, they prefer a high perch in a sheltered area of the run, so the coop and the boxes have stayed perfectly clean for months, and no dirty eggs.

 

[dianefairhall]

This has all been very useful. It seems that the girls are probably taking the muck in on their feet. When we had to bang them up we put down a thick layer of bark in the run for them to scratch in and so it's probably bits of that which is ending up on the eggs.

 

[mattigil]

Thank you to those who have already contributed to this thread, as I mentioned at the beginning, the point of this thread is to share experiences, advise and opinions regarding this matter as I think it's necessary to have an updated version every so often.
Thankfully the way our chicken coop is and how often we clean it, our eggs are normally clean but as some members mentioned, when there are faeces on the chickens feather, it causes the egg at times to have bits stuck to then etc. I think ensuring that the chickens have plenty of sand baths normally helps with preventing dirty bottoms for them!
I will have to look into the roll away nesting boxes and maybe that will be a future project when we make another coop and run down the line, but thanks for that suggestion!
@Icemaiden , do you have any link or source in regards with not being allowed to clean eggs before selling in the UK, as I can't find this anywhere online and not even on the gov website dedicated to Eggs: marketing and trade regulations?
My main issue with eggs being dirty is with duck eggs (I know I've posted in the chicken section but I didn't want to open a completely separate thread which would overlap and repeat itself). As duck owners would probably agree, ducks don't always lay in a nesting box and therefore tend to normally have dirtier eggs especially if they've laid in a muddy area. Thankfully our ducks have started laying in some nesting areas with created for them in various places, but I'm sure I'll have a few laid on the mud around the run by the end of the week. Does anyone have any advise, ideas in regards with cleaning these eggs?
I know the best way to have clean eggs is to prevent them getting dirty in the first place, but there are always some limitations with that.

Btw, if any members have enjoyed this thread and haven't put a post on, I highly recommend you post something whether it's advise, or even to say whether someone else's advice has helped you!

 

[Icemaiden]

Hi Matigil.
I'll try to remember to look it up for you tomorrow. I'll be off to bed shortly.

Icemaiden