Should i wash hens eggs

Moreover, some chemicals found in detergents and sanitizers may actually increase the porosity of the shell making it even more susceptible to bacteria. Washing eggs in cold water is also ill-advised.

Washing with cool or cold water creates a vacuum effect pulling unwanted bacteria inside the egg even faster. Similarly, soaking dirty eggs in water is unsafe. The longer an egg is left soaking in water, the more opportunity for Salmonella and other microbial contaminants to penetrate the shell. The best method for how to wash fresh eggs is by using warm water that is at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Never soak eggs, even in warm water.

It is unnecessary and encourages the transfer of contaminants to the inside of the eggs. Moreover, washed eggs must be immediately and thoroughly dried before being stored.

It is best not to wash the bloom from your eggs — but if you are going to do so despite all of the reasons not to, then be sure to know how to wash fresh eggs properly so that you minimize the risks. Was it a double yolk? Did the hen just start laying? Very normal in either scenerio. Hi Heather, Yes, that is what I do.

I give them a quick rinse in cold water, but only if they have debris on them. Ohhh just stop!!!! I put eggs in water for atleast 24 hrs before they go into my incubators to be able remove any egg that has a crack in it and the eggs go into the incubator clean and all at the same temperature!!!

Do you know if that is true? We went through them fast enough they probably never got more than three weeks old. Finally, aside from letting fresh eggs age for a couple of weeks, do you have any tips on how to boil them so the shell separates easily from the egg? We bought eggs from a farmer who washes them and then refrigerated them. What are the risks associated with not washing eggs?

Salmonella can survive for a long time in dried faeces on the outside of eggs. This presents two risks. Firstly, if eggs are stored incorrectly and condensation forms on the shell, the water may be sufficient to allow Salmonella to pass into the inside of the egg through the pores in the shell.

This risk increases over the storage time, as the natural barriers of the egg start to break down with increasing age of the egg.

Condensation on the outside of eggs also increases the chance that Salmonella on the shell may grow. Secondly, during handling and preparation of dirty eggs, direct hand-to-mouth contamination can occur, or other foods may be cross-contaminated from hands, dirty discarded shells, or during the action of cracking the egg. What if my eggs are dirty and my customer demands clean eggs?

Remember egg washing is not recommended because Salmonella can move into the inside of the egg through pores in the shell, increasing the risk to consumers. Try to explain this to your customer and get agreement to accept unwashed eggs. There is an increased risk of Salmonella transmission from the outside to the inside of eggs during washing. These risks can be multiplied several-fold by poor washing practice.

Additionally, if the washing water is not at least 11 o C above the temperature of the egg, then Salmonella can be sucked into the egg through the pores in the shell.

Even after washing, if eggs are not dried quickly and completely before storage then there is more chance of Salmonella penetrating the shell. The use of chemical detergents or sanitisers in the wash water may not help, because some chemicals may actually increase the porosity of the shell making it easier for Salmonella to cross the shell barrier. Getting egg washing right to avoid all these increased risks is not simple, and for that reason it is much safer not to wash them at all, but to concentrate on good husbandry, and the production of eggs that are clean in the first place.

Hi Tiffany! So you are considering putting a floor in your chicken tractor? Our coop floor is plain wood was like that when we bought it. It works ok, but I do have to be careful to keep things clean and dry to prevent rotting. Just some things to think about! When we move the tractor, we just move the fence.. Also, I wash my eggs too in good warm water with a little Dawn dish washing liquid…. We are new to this and if this will damage the egg, please let me know….

We have been using our eggs unwashed and sitting on the counter not frig for 15 years, and no one has ever gotten sick from them. I love this site! I love anything to do with chickens! I just want to share a fabulous bit of information on breaking eggs. This is a fact. I have been doing this for about 2 years. When you break an egg to put in a skillet or a bowl, I always used to crack it on the edge of the pan, or the edge of the sink.

Its amazing! I saw this on a cooking show one time! It works! I have 5 hens and 1 Roo and in March I am getting 30 more babies!

I am so excited! I sure hope my new chicken coop is done by then! Hey- thats a cool egg trick- gonna have to try it.

And congrats on your new batch of babies- how exciting! I lost a customer over that one — she was completely unhinged about my not washing them! I offered to wash hers, but she was done with me.

This year, with our 11 new girls YAY! I like the idea of offering a washed and unwashed option. Good to know!! So he would bring them in and soak them. That might explain why eggs were disagreeing with me all the time!!! I may never wash my eggs again! Lol, oh no Laura! Those silly hubbys…. Hope you can eat them now!

We wipe with a paper towel when they are collected and put in the fridge in the garage. When we sell them, if it is a city-person, they get washed as needed. Usually just rubbing with my thumbs under running water.

They specifically ask to have the eggs unwashed so they stay fresher longer. Love it! I do wash my eggs. My ritual every Saturday morning. The whole house is still asleep. I wash and put them in cartons to give to family and friends or to sell. After that I cook breakfast for my wife and three sons. One afternoon when I was at work my wife called to tell me she had a great idea for egg washing. She said me that she ran a dozen through the dishwasher. And they are beautiful!

What happend? She was soo disappointed. She is so funny. So about 30 mins later I got a message from her telling me she ran 3 or 4 through the dishwasher but this time she turned off the heat dry. I called her and again asked that she crack one open.

And…again I could hear her enthusiasm for her new found short cut fall upon seeing that the yolk was still raw but the white was cooked. So, I still have my Saturday mornings when I drink coffee and wash about 40 — 50 eggs. Andrew — this is hysterical! If I did something like that, my husband would have suggested the washing machine too.

May I please share this post with my family and friends on FB? What about hard-boiling? Can I hard boil them without washing them first? Also, Can I rinse them off right before cracking them? I hear of many folks doing that. Up until today I have been an egg washer!

Thanks for the info…. I had heard that part of the coating on the eggs is actually a waxy coating substance. An old timer in my area said that you can use a small bit of natural soap SUDS on them- not liquid soap directly but suds up some first in warm, not hot water before putting the eggs in. I had dried on things that needed to soak off, unfortunately. I would store unwashed eggs on the fridge on one drawer with towels, wash a dozen or two at a time before getting ready to use and give out, then those went in the other drawer for using.

They said they used to make these wonderful egg baskets shaped like a large funnel so the older ones came out a small hatch in the bottom first. During drier times they used to hang a moist cotton towel over the top of the basket to keep the eggs just slightly moist and keep them from desiccating.

Lots of very interesting information came from the older farmers and residents in my very rural community! I moved and I miss that! Very interesting!

Thanks for including it here! Just sifted through your blog and purchased your ebook. I use a pot scrubber and hot water to wash any visible poo off the eggs. The friends who buy eggs from me expect them to be pretty. I am truly enjoying keeping our Houndstooth Hens! Just cracked it on the other side. Thank you this is so helpful. I pinned it and have shared the info with a city girl friend who just inherited 24 hens. I never considered not washing our eggs.

We use hot water and a scrubby designated specifically for the eggs. Never heard of the bloom or vacuum. Interesting too! Thanks for sharing.

We do wash ours before we sell them. I only wash our eggs if they look dirty, but most often we just put them in the carton. The idea the commercial egg-ers could be sanitizing the eggs with bleach makes me want to run screaming. Since I, like many, grew up on conventional, commercial, shiny white eggs….

I was my eggs before I put them in the fridge. The reason I do this is because I have mice that run through my nesting boxes. Chicken are definately carnivors. Our cat had caught a mouse and two chickens stole it and fought over who was going to get it and eat it. I prefer to buy them without being washed and I store them in my fridge in a covered container. I wash them, as you stated, in warmer water. I do use my own homemade bar soap on them but most importantly I only wash them right before I use them.

That way the bloom keeps them protected yet they are clean for using. I have duck eggs and before reading all this info on washing eggs I would soak my duck eggs all day in vinegar water! Even putting ice in the bowl sometimes to keep the eggs cold while soaking. Then I would scrub the eggs with a wire scrubby.

Will be changing the way I clean my duck eggs for now on. Most of the time I left them unwashed and let people know. If there were some really dirty ones or if someone wanted cleaned eggs, I washed them in warm water no soap and used a dedicated scrub cloth.

Then I coated them with mineral oil after they were dry so they had a protective coating again. This satisfied my picky customers by making them shiny and beautiful. I did make sure to tell those people to store them in the refrigerator. I was actually surprised to see that they are so clean when freshly laid I got several egg flats from Huddle House for free, just by asking, and I store my eggs in these on the counter for weeks. We keep the dirtiest eggs in a separate carton on the counter for our personal use.

I have always was my eggs with cold water. But now I understand 1. If I do wash do it with warm water. I have 3 dozens in the reffing, should I throw them away since I washed them in cold water? And way to go on your chicken adventure! If you are still nervous, you can use them for cooking where you cook them completely. I wouldnt worry either but it would give me a good excuse to bake a lot.

You might look into making lactobacillus serum so you can wash anything with a dilluted serum wash. Absolutely disgusting! I was totally grossed out! At least I know now that most of you would have given those to the dog or compost pile so that tells me a lot too. I hesitate to get any more from her. Yes— there are definitely some that are just too dirty for even me. Just eaiser that way. My mom grew chickens and used to use a little vinegar on a cloth to clean any part of an egg that was really nasty but that was it.

We have a friend that gives us free eggs. They do not keep a tidy coop and most of the eggs are soiled. Some are pretty much covered with mud and poop that has dried on the egg.

I guess I thought the bloom would protect the egg and not let this first insult inside. Anyway, I refrigerate them as is and use them asap. I wash them under hot running water just before using them. We have been using them for about 6 months and so far, so good. But am I living on borrowed time? It sounds like you are taking all the precautions possible Sharon.

But while watching doomsday preppers one particular woman bought eggs coated them in mineral oil and kept them in her basement any cool dark place she said that they could stay like that for a year maybe longer. My only concern would be that the eggs might absorb any icky stuff in the oil… So I wonder if a natural, food-type oil would work instead? I am not sure but farm fresh eggs already have a protective coating so that if they are not washed and stored properly they will last a long time.

The reason she used mineral oil is because it will not go rancid and food oils will. Perhaps a search on the internet will provide more information. Love reading all the comments. Bwaahaahaa…I wonder if she thinks the commercial eggs come straight from the chicken looking like what you buy in the store!!

That one made me LOL!!!! Maybe soap suds would not remove as much of the bloom as detergent would. I gathered eggs from their chickens a first for me , and since some of the eggs were pretty dirty I decided to wash them before packing them in the cartons.

After them soaking, all I had to do was rinse them, dry them, and pack them in the cartons and cooler. I was quite proud of myself for adapting to farm life so quickly!! When the guys came back from hunting a few days later, my son-in-law the son of my heart looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and said that the first morning he fixed this big feast of a breakfast for his brothers and nephews and sons and when everyone sat down to eat, every time they opened their mouths they blew bubbles!!

I now have hens 4 of them as that is all I am allowed to have in the city. Jill, I really learned a lot from this post about egg washing. I have hens and have always scrubbed my eggs in warm water and have never had a problem with them going bad. And I keep them on the countertop! I going to write a post about farm-raised eggs.

Thank you very much! But links are great- and thanks for asking! I wish I could get away without washing them. I like her to much to kill her. Do you know how long we spend washing eggs each morning? Thanks for all the information and if my questions were answered earlier I apologize in advance for asking again.

I just starting to collect my eggs. I would rather be more natural with the cleaning or NOT cleaning, but of course do not want to get ill. After reading that cold water washing makes the bacteria enter the eggs what about putting into the cold fridge before washing, does that not make bacteria enter the egg as well?

Also, how long do unwashed eggs last in the fridge vs. But if that is extra work and not the healthiest way to go I would rather not! Great info, thank you. Glad to find this all out before our ladies start laying.

I too, have purchased from a local friend, all pretty, clean eggs. Now I know she probably knows more than my other friend! Did take me awhile to get my husband to even consider eating a farm fresh egg, but now, lo and behold, he loves them so much, we have our own flock!

Also in all that time I may have washed 5 eggs. No one in my family has ever had a negative reaction. In fact back in the 70s I would buy 6 dozen at a time because the eggs were so far away.

There were only two of us. They would stay fresh until we use them which could take months. Eggs are the perfect health food! And of course, all the fun comments, too. Love your blog. We have a mixed flock of 35 girls. Have been rinsing dirty eggs for self consuming, giving and selling. Got into the habit of rinsing too much I think. Thanks for the info and reminder to leave it the way God made it to work.

Will be doing less washing. Also sometimes in the summer when the grass is lush I like to wipe off the icky stuff in the grass before I take it in the house. Also I think about keeping dirty, feathery eggs in the fridge with all the other food? What about cross contamination for the other food?

Yes— I try to avoid putting the really dirty ones in the fridge. My husband told me that due to limited space on submarines they store all their eggs out of the fridge and unwashed for months often at least 6 months.

I caught her once soaking the eggs and forgot about them for a day we ended up tossing those. Also, I heard somewhere storing them point down keeps them longer, any thoughts on that? My dad told me the point side goes down because the other end has an air pocket that should face up. I have found that wherever the air pocket is after hard boiling them is the best spot to peel them without pulling chunks of the egg white off too.

The very first time I bought farm fresh eggs I had to call my husband in. And the yolk was so beautifully rich colored. The first time I got farm fresh eggs for my kids my girls responded the same way! I did have to wash three out of five that I collected after work today because they had a lot of poo on them. I was never sure if they were clean enough.

Fast forward 2 years, and my story sounds a lot like the article. If there is a piece of pine or a feather I just pick it off. I read a study that said the change of Salmonella in a backyard flock was so slim that your chances were like once in 80 years if at all. That was good enough for me.

These days I cringe at the thought of store-bought. Incidentally, mom is visiting over Christmas. If she is eating eggs for breakfast, they will be from my sweet little girls, for which we are all grateful. Thanks for the great post.

I always enjoy them. To me, its like washing a banana before you peel it. To each his own, I guess. Because when you crack it, the dirt will come into contact with the inside of the egg and the egg will be contaminated that way. As for our broken ones, we fed them to our pigs! They loved them! We are hoping to have our coop rebuilt this spring! A freshly laid egg is coated with a moist outer membrane.

Thanks for the information. A couple questions. I live in Cleveland, OH and my son and I have 5 hens. Ill have to tell him the tip about raising their roosting areas.