SeasideChick Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 OK ... I'm sorry if I'm being a complete div here ... but: if a hen has poohed on an egg that's been laid, do you still eat it .. ie, just wipe off the poo or do you throw it away ??? I know that the egg shells are porous so it seems likely that you'd discard it, but wanted to know what you guys are doing out there ..... As always, thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewandcarly Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 If there is any on mine i just wash it off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanters Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Wipe it clean if it's not going to be eaten that day or wash it just before cooking it. You'd think people would be grossed out by seeing poo on an egg but if I give some eggs to my neighbours, they always choose the dirty one and maybe if there's a feather on one. They said it seems more natural and fresh to see something like that than the ones you pick up at the supermarket! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Bit of poo in your diet wont hurt you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I just wipe it off with a bit of damp kitchen paper. Not dead yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pookylover Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I agree. I wouldn't dream of throwing it away. Clare x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Ooh, no, don't bin them . If mine (well, the girls' ) are pooey I wipe them with a damp cloth. If it's not much, I just leave it - if you're breaking the eggs open the insides don't touch the shell anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 (edited) **This** article on the subject is well worth a read. Edited April 17, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeasideChick Posted April 17, 2008 Author Share Posted April 17, 2008 Thanks for all your replies. And, I read with interest, the article about Cleaning Eggs .... thanks for that Egluntine!! My husband has made a flap to cover over the nesting box at night ... the girls all sleep in the nesting box otherwise. I take it off in the morning and put it back on about 5/6pm, so my chances of soiled eggs are minimised. I just wanted to know, so that if, and when such an event should take place, I am well armed with knowledge!!! Thanks again, I feel much happier now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I just wipe it off with a bit of damp kitchen paper. Not dead yet. I concur! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alih Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 and there we all were the other day talking about how a bit of dirt never hurt anyone! I just wipe or wash mine and snaffle them as usual - when I think about what having a baby involves a bit of chicken poo pales into insignificance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs and chickens Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 **This** article on the subject is well worth a read. Weird I always understood you should not clean eggs as they are porous and therefore bacteria can get into the egg, is this not the case? I also understood that eggs should not be kept in the fridge as this again increases the chance of bacteria getting into the egg? Have I missed the point? I eat and sell eggs that have a bit of dirt/poop on them. We keep the most soiled for our use, and sell the slightly dirty ones. I also have started collecting the eggs about every hour, as this way I get less dirty eggs. If it's a wet day, I try to collect/check for eggs about every half. I have one chap who buys eggs who complained about poop on his eggs, I told him I would refund him for them, but would be unable to supply him in future as I can not guarantee perfectly clean eggs, when we have free range chickens. He still has eggs and now they wash them just before use! The other advice I have been given is to brush them, as this will remove some dirt - I have not found this works that well! Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lera Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I tend to wipe them off on the grass before bringing them in, and only properly clean them just before cooking, having also believed that it was not a good idea to wash eggs before storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoop Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Think of where the egg comes from!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 All eggs with poo on them get wiped (I think it's slightly better to wipe a little bit of the protection off the shell than leave the poo on, which must be worse if it fell off the shell and into the pan)... All irregular shaped (torpedo), extra large (double yolkers), extra small (bantam) and cracked eggs get eaten by us. Most of the rest get sold at £1 for 6 eggs. We currently get about 40 eggs a day from our 50 ish hens (it's been a while since the last count)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 All irregular shaped (torpedo), extra large (double yolkers), extra small (bantam) and cracked eggs get eaten by us. Personally I would draw the line at using a cracked egg myself & prefer to cook them & feed them back to the hens,just in case some bacteria has got in to it Same with soft shells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Personally I would draw the line at using a cracked egg myself & prefer to cook them & feed them back to the hens,just in case some bacteria has got in to it Same with soft shells. Your probably right... But we haven't died or become ill yet and I only use them if the shell is cracked, but the yolk and white are still intact and not oozing out of the shell... And we eat the soft shells as well. I forgot to mention this as we've only had a couple over the years. As long as the white and yolk arn't oozing out it's good enough for me. I would hate to waste an egg after all the hard work that has been put into laying it... Probably isn't very pro health and safety though, so I wouldn't recommend it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...