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RE: Cleaning eggs

BirchCreekBliss — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:36:31 GMT

I agree w/ pps on the topic of keeping eggs clean from the get-go. I tried using straw - not hay, the chickens just eat it - and got nowhere b/c the girls just kicked it out and then I had a bunch of cracked eggs.

Here's what I've found to work the best:
*Use sawdust, not straw or hay. It stays in the nest boxes so long as there's a lip on the edge so they don't waste it. Plus it absorbs moisture better and if the girls do poop in there it's more likely to stay put than get on the eggs. It also doesn't take much. I could use 1/2 a bale of straw or hay just to stuff the boxes which got wasted anyway so I'd have to do it at least twice a week. For 8 nest boxes, I use 2 -5 gallon buckets full of sawdust and that beds 'em pretty thick. I just throw it in there and the girls kick it around to get it the way they like it themselves.
*Put a sheet of dark fabric over the opening of the nest boxes. I just used some cheap black scrap fabric, tacked it along the top of the boxes and then cut a slit where the middle of the nest box would be. This keeps the girls from roosting on the edge and pooping in the boxes all night. Plus there's less mess in the back of the next box because they go in, lay their egg, and get out since they can't see what everyone else is doing.

I rarely have to clean off my eggs now and I don't have to rebed the nest boxes but every couple of weeks. If there is a poop pile starting to build I just scoop it out with a trowel, or I guess you could use a kitty litter scooper.

RE: Cleaning eggs

valhallaboergoats — Sat, 22 May 2010 19:12:29 GMT

I think the key is clean bedding all the time. When we have the clean bedding; we get cleaner eggs. When we do sometimes get dirty eggs; we clean them in cold water and a course scrubber. Anyone every try the egg wash solutions that are sold?

RE: Cleaning eggs

BarrowsFarm — Wed, 19 May 2010 07:05:58 GMT

Okay...I got thinking about this topic this morning and decided to go through all of the information that I have gathered over the years from various sources to find the appropriate way to clean eggs.....I found this one the most informative:

Dr. Christina Winstead of The Department of Animal Science Cornell University says the following:

"A household refrigerator can be used to store eggs from small flocks, but the low humidity will cause air cells to enlarge rapidly. Eggs may absorb off-flavors if stored with other produce such as onions.

Sanpaper, emery paper, or steel wool are useful for dry cleaning eggs. Egg washing is not recommended for small flock owners, but if done, an egg wash containing a sanitizer should be used. A temperature of 110 degrees F is preferred but a range of 90 to 100 degrees F. is suggested. Make sure the water is at least 20 degrees warmer than the egg but never more the 50 degrees. Wahing should not exceed 2 to 3 minutes and shoulb be followed by a rapid drying and cooling. Never wash eggs in cold water. It causes the egg contents to contract and draw-in the dirty water.

Egg quality declines as eggs get older, but the nutritional value is not affected. For maximum quality, eggs should be used within 2 weeks after being laid."

RE: Cleaning eggs

BarrowsFarm — Tue, 18 May 2010 09:50:54 GMT

hmmm....I will say just one thing...I don't have too many issues with dirty eggs. I cure the problem before it starts. I bed all of my nest boxes with a good bit of hay. I clean them out as needed. If you see a pile of poop it is time to clean. Usually only about once a week, especially if you have some where for them to roost at night instead of inside the nesting box.

If I do get one or two that are dirty, I usually wipe them with blades of grass or hay and then maybe a wet paper towel, then I make boiled eggs with them immedicately. I don't wash them ever! It isn't so much about ruining the inside of the age as it is the shelf life of the eggs. If you submerge eggs in water, hot or cold, it actually depletes one week off the month shelf life. If you are keeping the dirty eggs for yourself, then it really doesn't matter due to the fact that you know when they were gathered. If you are selling them...do not wash them. You don't know how fast someone will go through those eggs.

All of have to do is any type of research online and you can find that this statement is true. I just watched a documentary not long ago on the history channel that explained all of this as well.

By the way....we sell about 20 dozen eggs a week from here....and no one has ever complained and they always come back for more!

RE: Cleaning eggs

ksbreiding — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:16:54 GMT

I also wash with hot water and soap. I have been doing this for over a year and have had good clean eggs!!

RE: Cleaning eggs

MrsKK — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:20:08 GMT

I agree that eggs being presented for sale need to be cleaned up, but NOT washed, as in water...unless you have the special cleaning product that is made for eggs, which gives the eggs a coating to replace the bloom that gets washed off.

Washing eggs with water - and especially water that is a different temperature than the eggs - only introduces pathogens into the egg, which means that the egg might look clean but can be teeming with bacteria inside.

Most eggs come out of our nesting boxes already presentable, but the few that don't can normally be cleaned up with a scrape of a knife and a dusting off with sandpaper. If that doesn't clean up the egg enough, they are used by my family only. We wash them off just before using them.

RE: Cleaning eggs

Drawbar — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:36:23 GMT

I can understand people not washing eggs that you consume yourself, but if you put them outside the road to sell a few ofthe extra eggs you have, I think it is prudent to wash them.

I say this because my massage therpist and I were talking about this the other day. She said she tried to buy local, "but could not do local eggs anymore because she found some that were dirty and had a feather or two on them." It just grossed her out so much that she won't buy from roadsides any more.

We both realizd that locals eggs are better, but if I ever ran into dirty eggs, I would not buy them there anymore either. It is just a product of modern society I know, but customers expect clean food now.

RE: Cleaning eggs

BirchCreekBliss — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:39:58 GMT

I agree with Karen and Doug - I don't "wash" mine unless they've got poop caked on them. Then I use a dry or slightly damp paper towel. I've heard of using fine grit sandpaper too.

FYI - the magic erasers can take permanent marker off the wall (from experience after an accident involving a two-year-old)!, but will also eat your skin - I wouldn't use them on eggs because there is obviously a chemical reaction that eats paint. . . not exactly what I want around my food.

RE: Cleaning eggs

Douggifford — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:39:26 GMT

Technically, you're not supposed to wash eggs, because as Karen points out it washes off natures protective coating. However, I don't keep eggs around very long. I eat them or give them away witnin a few days of being laid. With that in mind, I do wash my eggs even though I know it's really better that I don't. When I bring my eggs inside I run just a little water over them. I wait a couple minutes until any soil is loosened, then I rub them with my hands in soapy water lightly. Quite frankly, most days there is very little soil/feces on my eggs and I hardly wash them.

RE: Cleaning eggs

MrsKK — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:50:51 GMT

Egg shells are very porous. When the hen lays an egg, it is moist, but the moisture quickly dries and forms a "bloom" on the egg that helps seal the shell and protect it from invasion by bacteria.

To keep eggs fresher for a longer period of time, they shouldn't be washed with water until just before using them.

RE: Cleaning eggs

thestartupman — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:22:35 GMT

I have read somewhere that you should not wash off your eggs, unless they are extra dirty. It said something about that the egg shell can absorb bacteria when it is washed? Does anyone have any other info on this?

RE: Cleaning eggs

little tague farm — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:16:14 GMT

hmm I just put them under running water and clean them with my hands then in the fridge they go. do that with chicken and goose eggs. no soap no sponge, no was cloth.

RE: Cleaning eggs

JohnnyAd — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:37:08 GMT

We wash ours immediately after collecting with hot water, anti-bacterial soap and a soft bristle tooth brush. Then they go in the egg cartons in the fridge.

RE: Cleaning eggs

cweick — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:50:17 GMT

I put P2's eggs in a bowl of HOT water for a minute and then use a washcloth that has a netting to one side and clean. We try to pick up eggs each day, but due to the weather (sometimes) it has to wait for the morning release.

RE: Cleaning eggs

MrsKK — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:02:03 GMT

Larger pieces of soil I scrape off with a knife. If anything is left, that egg goes in the carton for house use.

Eggs for customers are treated to a fine sanding pad (the 1/4 inch thick spongy type) if they are soiled.

I never use water or any kind of soap on my eggs, as that will destroy the bloom on them, which is what protects an egg and keeps it sealed from contaminants, allowing them to be stored for up to a couple of months, under proper conditions.

The heavily soiled house eggs get washed off just before they are cracked for cooking.

RE: Cleaning eggs

wendyme — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:42:11 GMT

I wet the egg then gently use a plastic veggie brush. If the egg's really dirty, I lightly touch the brush to the dish detergent bottle tip (don't even want a whole drop), then scrub with that.

RE: Cleaning eggs

heirloom27 — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:41:22 GMT

Amazing the uses of those little white pads!

Who'd a thot of a little gentle egg washing ...

Cleaning eggs

Chicken Farmer — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:11:17 GMT

Use a household cleaning pad. I use the Magic Eraser and it cleans so well it can take the brown and blue colors off my Ameraucana and Rhode Island Reds eggs. No not all of it though.