Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
To keep eggs from getting dirty in the first place, you'll need to remedy the source of the
problem. If mud is the offender, more often than not a muddy entryway to the coop is
the culprit, and the nesting boxes are too close to the ground. Raising the boxes should
help. If bird droppings are befouling the eggs, it's likely that the rails the hens roost on
are too close to the nest itself, causing their droppings to land smack dab on the eggs.
Alleviate this problem by making sure the rail is no closer than 8 inches from the nest
edge.
If you do find a particularly foul-looking egg, soiled by either mud or excrement, toss
it. That egg will be covered with bacteria and not safe to eat. A slightly dirty egg, on the
other hand, can be brushed of or rubbed with either a sanding sponge or a nylon scouring
pad. Water should be avoided since washing the shell rinses away its natural seal against
bacteria. If you do wash an egg, use water that's slightly warmer than the egg itself. If
the water is cooler than the egg, bacteria can actually be drawn through the shell into the
egg. Dry the cleaned egg before putting it into a carton and use it as soon as possible.
EGG SAFETY
With your girls finally providing you with an egg bounty, you should strictly follow
some safety basics:
Keep nests clean and lined with fresh litter.
Collect eggs often, and refrigerate promptly. Your flock won't necessarily keep to a
tidy schedule, so check several times a day if possible.
Toss seriously soiled and broken, leaking eggs. (However, an egg that has cracked
slightly is safe to eat as along as the membrane that's attached to the shell is still intact
and the egg is used right away.)
Clean moderately dirty eggs.
Cook eggs or egg-rich foods to 160°F (70°C), and either serve immediately or refriger-
ate. Although salmonella poisoning is unlikely from homegrown eggs, cooking them
will destroy any salmonella bacteria that may be present.
Wash hands and cooking utensils after handling raw eggs.
Anatomy of an Egg
