Cleaning eggs

[Lucylou]

Does anyone have an answer to dirty eggs? I think my girls are the tomboys who like playing in all the dirt & then bring it into the house with them :lol:

As they insist on using the same nest box the last egg laid is lovely & clean (my Maran was already in the nest box one day this week & the little Campine decided she wanted to go in there too, so funny watching her trying to squeeze herself into the very small space left beside the Maran! She eventually gave up & had to wait her turn, the 2nd box wasn't good enough :lol: )

I have read that its not wise to wash eggs as it removes the natural bloom on them which acts as a preservative, but this week I had 2 eggs that were so filthy I didn't want to put them into the fridge. With those, I washed them (took quite a lot of rubbing to get it off!!) & ate them straight away but I can't do that all the time. As I only have 6 chooks a roll-away isn't really an option. Any ideas anyone?

 

[Anonymous]

When my flock first started laying some years ago I was the same way! I was so obsessed with washing the eggs right away...until I learned about the potential for bacteria to seep in and how unhealthy it can be, etc... this is mostly if you wash them with anything wet though (water, sanitizers, wet sponge,etc...) Personally, I just wipe them with a dry cloth and put them in the fringe and dont actually "wash" them until we are ready to eat them.
However, I believe the best way to clean a dirty egg right away is to "dry clean" them. Either with a dry soft sponge or cloth, etc anything soft. Some ppl will suggest using a scrubber of some sort...again... I believe that using anything abrasive is nearly the same as using something wet... it [potentially] allows the pores to open in the shell.
I would highly advise not scubbing or washing them right away though! This is a great article...about 1/2 through has some great info! http://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/Products-Marketing/Eggs-washed-or-unwashed
Hope this helps! GL

 

[podstable]

Im sure leaving them alone all adds to the flavour!! :lol: Ros

 

[Tim]

I don't put my eggs in the fridge - I store them in the pantry on an egg tray. None of my eggs are over a week old. the dirty eggs get a dry wipe but I wash them with warm water (closes the pores up, stopping bacteria entering) before use.

The ideal is making sure the birds don't use the nestboxes to sleep in and have a clean nest to lay in. This cuts down on most of the hassle.