Posted by Amy in Ohio on 11/10/2009, 8:16 pm |
- Depends on if they are for you or for customers...lol
Posted by Susan on 11/10/2009, 8:24 pm, in reply to "now that I am an official egg farmer.....haha!....question..."
Hi Amy,
If I am selling to customers, I try to put them into the fridge the evening I collect them (which reminds me..lol). If they are for me, my dogs, or family members, they may sit on my counter for a week before I rinse and put into the fridge.
. It works for me...
- rinse?
Posted by Amylou on 11/10/2009, 9:01 pm, in reply to "Depends on if they are for you or for customers...lol"
Why rinse? I have heard not to wash...but what's the purpose of rinsing?
Hmmmmm I need to learn a lot, evidently, before I can be a professional! haha!
Okay well I am not selling any of these eggs until we have more than we can eat! So I guess eating ONE egg that MIGHT be 30 hours old isn't gonna hurt me (or Judd!) - I rinse in warm water for eggs I eat
Posted by Susan on 11/10/2009, 9:09 pm, in reply to "rinse? "
Mine get some dirt, some poo on them from the nests, since I have so many hens in and out of nests all day. I can only gather the eggs in the evening when I get home from work, so they get a work out before I get to them..lol. Most are pretty clean still, but I rinse them in warm water before I store in cartons for the fridge.
Eggs you are going to hatch, you don't want to wash or rinse, IMO. I prefer to keep the natural bloom on them as nature intended for good hatch-ability. - An egg is born sterile clean
Posted by BigBird on 11/11/2009, 12:49 am, in reply to "rinse? "
The bloom is the oily coating that is the first line of defense against moisture loss as well preventing a fair amount of bacterial attack.
The egg breaths!
washing the egg will remove much of the bloom exposing the myriad of micropores on the shell to increased bacterial attack.
Refrigeration slows down the bacterial activity if any. But the simple process (defrost cycle)of refrigeration also draws moisture out of the egg faster. So the big question is....
wash em or not?
I wash em for consumption and refrigerate em as soon as possible after collection (whether it for me a customer or the doggy) Only time I ever store eggs outside the fridge is hatching eggs or duds that chuck on the oak tree.
That being said...a clean unwashed egg can easily sit around on the counter (out of direct sunlight) for a few days and still be safely consumed without ill effect. However, the fridge is right there so I still would prefer refrigeration.
I tend to not wanna eat poopy on eggs....I wait for the cleanest ones. But if cleaned in warm water I don't gag. The inside is still quite safe I would say. Just avoid eating the shells i guess.
Never wash an egg in cold water!
The inners rapidly contract in cold water...and thru laws of physics the rapid retraction will suck in microbes thru the now freely accdessible pores and the water only puts the bad buugards in solution making transport across the eggshell and thru the inner set of membranes even easier!
Use warm water and if you insist a mild solution of NONTOXIC handsoap. But usualy just a lil bit of luke warm water is all that is needed.
For hatching eggs...use only a dry rag or a toothbrush to knock off the majority of crud. For hatching eggs avoid the totally poopified eggs.
The poopified eggs are perfect for twacking the oak tree
- me too...
Posted by laura on 11/14/2009, 11:04 am, in reply to "Depends on if they are for you or for customers...lol"
i was first taught this in japan by a woman who eyes me curiously when i put eggs in the fridge! her name was judy and spoke some english. she said eggs don't belong in the fridge, that they belong under the sink. LOL Anyhow, when in doubt, use the float test. Lukewarm water, drop in the egg. laying down is fine. floating is BAD. haha standing up....on it's way out and i toss those along with the floaters. (floating means a gas build-up in the shell which means it is rotting) - 2 day old eggs or older
Posted by smurf on 11/11/2009, 1:02 am, in reply to "now that I am an official egg farmer.....haha!....question..."
If I find a nest with 2 or more eggs in it ** I use the water test to see if I going to keep them *** that being put them in a pot or pan that you can cover them with 6" of water if they stay on the bottom then they are good ** if they float I throw them away I but them in the frige an they keep for a few week but no egg stay in my frig longer that 4 or 5 days before I use it ** eggs in the store can be as old as 2 or 3 week when you buy them ** An if you look on the cartoon they have a date to use them by that can be 4 or 5 week away - Re: 2 day old eggs or older
Posted by Shelby from Pa on 11/11/2009, 10:54 am, in reply to "2 day old eggs or older"
I've read about this storage deal for quite a while. I'm older than most of you and while I do remember gathering eggs daily from the hen house I don't recall what was done with them.
I do know around Easter we'd paint the shells and we'd carry them in our lunch buckets or they might sit on the table in open air for 2 or more weeks and I certainly don't recall what was done with an egg with a slightly cracked shell. Hey I'm still here!
I have wondered if chicken eggs have changed over the years? - Thanks! This morning I found a soft-shelled egg...
Posted by Amy in Ohio on 11/11/2009, 12:31 pm, in reply to "Re: 2 day old eggs or older"
I have heard of these soft shell eggs but had never seen one. My chicks have free access to oyster shell, so apparently one girl isn't eating her portions! Anything I should do about that?
Thanks everyone for the information about time and storage and cleaning...I will be an egg-spert in no time!
- that will happen to the newbies
Posted by lisa on 11/11/2009, 2:42 pm, in reply to "Thanks! This morning I found a soft-shelled egg..."
their bodies are still getting used to what the egg making thing is all about. It is normal at this stage. In a mature hen you might concern yourself with lack of calcium, but your pullets are still figuring things out, so to-speak. Their bodies are just warming up! - Ohhhhh-Ewwwwwww
Posted by loriky on 11/11/2009, 8:53 pm, in reply to "Thanks! This morning I found a soft-shelled egg..."
Aren't they just Creepy????? LOL! 
- Re: Ohhhhh-Ewwwwwww
Posted by Amylou on 11/13/2009, 11:32 am, in reply to "Ohhhhh-Ewwwwwww"
yeah, kind of creepy. Reminds me of a reptile egg!
