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[Ms Tilytinkle]

I've still been concerned about the blood speckled egg & thought i'd keep researching

hmmmm look at this article i've just come across . . nothing like conflicting advice

I'm sooo pleased only one egg is blood speckled!! What a dilemma, the eggs are perfect inside & taste delicious, its just the look !!!

 

Anyway, copied & pasted from "Small flock fact sheet, animal & poultry science dept.

 

B. Proper Egg Cleaning and Handling

 

Collect eggs in an easy to clean container like coated wire baskets or plastic egg flats. This will prevent stains from rusted metal and contamination from other materials which are difficult to clean and disinfect.

Do not stack eggs too high. If collecting in baskets do not stack eggs more than 5 layers deep. If using plastic flats do not stack more than 6 flats. If you stack eggs too deep you will increase breakage.

Never cool eggs rapidly before they are cleaned. The egg shell will contract and pull any dirt or bacteria on the surface deep into the pores when cooled. Try to keep the temperature relatively constant until they are washed.

Wash eggs as soon as you collect them. This helps limit the opportunity of contamination and loss of interior quality.

Wash eggs with water 10 degrees warmer than the egg. This will make the egg contents swell and push the dirt away from the pores of the egg. If you have extremely dirty eggs, a mild detergent approved for washing eggs can be used.

Never let eggs sit in water. Once the temperature equalizes the egg can absorb contaminants out of the water.

 

Cool and dry eggs quickly after washing. Store eggs, large end up, at 50-55ÉF and at 75% relative humidity. If eggs sit at room temperature (75ÉF) they can drop as much as one grade per day. If fertile eggs are kept at a temperature above 85ÉF for more than a few hours the germinal disc (embryo) can start to develop. If fertile eggs are kept above 85ÉF over two days the blood vessels of the embryo may become visible.

If eggs are stored properly in their own carton or other stable environment they should hold a quality of Grade A for at least four weeks.

 

______________________________________________________________

 

Strangely enough, we were told never to put eggs in refridgerator, hence the china hen basket.

 

 

Ms Tillys6chickenslaying5lovelyeggs,maybeoneofthemisbroodyorresting

[..lay a little egg for me]

Hi MrsT

 

Me again! We seem to have a regular correspondence re washing eggs! Your factsheet is v interesting. Although at first it appears contradictory I think it does make sense. After all, the instinct is to use cold water to wash the eggs, so the books I read that said not to wash eggs would fit with the statement about cooling causing bacteria to be drawn into the egg. That would also apply to refridgerating them I guess. The BritEggs website said that they should be stored at under 20degreesC but not in the fridge as the opening and closing causes temp fluctuations. Of course the factsheet you found is for commercial operations so their fridges would not be like domestic fridges and so the temp will be stable, as emphasised in the last statement. 75F corresponds to approx 23C, whereas 55F is about 13C, so storing out of the fridge but in a cool place seems to be best.

 

I still think there is no need to wash eggs that are basically clean when you collect them (as our girls' eggs always are) but perhaps you could do the blood spattered egg? BTW is the blood spattering a kind of smeared scatter of blood spots around the widest part of the egg? I saw somewhere that it is a sign of a small tear in the vent.

 

Perhaps after all this research, we should develop a consensus statement on washing as storing eggs?!

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Hello LALEFM

Bless you, thank you... i must seem insane but it is something daily i am faced with, the aesthetic pleasing to the eye or leave the blood. How can the tear repair itself i wonder, bless her i hate to think of her bleeding & tearing every time she lays.

i remember tearing & stitches when i laid & i certainly wouldn't have wanted to 'lay' again the following day & every day since!!!!!!! Ouwch. Poor little Agnes.

 

What do you think i can do to assist her to repair, i mean is there anything i can do?

 

As the eggs are warm when i collect them, thankfully i had been rinsing the blood off in the same temperature water. Yes there is a little more blood around the widest part. Aw bless her, how awful if it is a tear .. will it hurt her. . it must hurt her I assumed it was maybe a vein or something.

 

Thank you for your kind assistance & time

 

Ms Tllyhopesyou'rehavingapeacfullovelysunday

[..lay a little egg for me]

I know what you mean, it must hurt, but how to stop her laying? Seeing as the advice for people whose chooks have stopped laying is to make sure they get their layers pellets/mash, perhaps taking her off layers pellets would stop/slow the laying? Surely Egluntine would know? I suppose unless she stops for some days it won't heal. I mean, if taking her off the pellets means she lays every other day, the cut would still not be healed in time...

 

I wonder if some kind of rapid healing cream such as calendula might help it heal? Otherwise, perhaps she will have to wait until winter/moulting when she will stop laying for it to heal?

 

Hmm...a poser!

[Egluntyne]

Yep, change her diet to something very bland like wheat or balrey grains .....if you can get hold of some. A smallholder type shop should have them.

 

Or give her a few days of the hen equivalent of junk food. rice, mashed potato, pasta, weetabix etc.

[Ms Tilytinkle]

baffling indeed . .

Wonder how i can keep her off the layers pellets as often the others pop back into the run if they fancy a nibble during the day

She has laid everyday since starting which is weeks ago

oddly the speckles look mostly the same, meaning they're no worse now than when she started.

 

Ahem, I had another look at her vent today as i tickled her & it just looks the same as the others. She is the smallest chicken, maybe in time , if we can get her to stop laying, it will heal & she will grow.

 

 

Thanks again . . .now then where is dear Eglutine???? with her words of chickisdom

 

Ms Tillysgladiamnotlayinganeggdaily,oohthesticthesalonebringbackhauntingnightmares

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Dear EGLUTINE . . . Thank you .. .we must've posted at the same time

Thank you again, okay will try bland junk food as we have some peelings & green beans & rice.

 

Ms TillyoffforalongiceddeliciousPIMMSMsTillyhicwon'tbeabletowritehiclaterhic

[frenchlayer]

Dear Ms Tilywinkle.

 

What a dilemma, I saw your previous post for this too.

 

I wish I could the article I read about not washing eggs, I tried again but no luck.

 

Interesting about washing and temperature tho, it seems to make sense.

 

Bless her poor bum, maybe a bit of vaseline might work as well. Speed exit up a bit.

 

Good luck

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Oooooh dear FL

Thank you for your kind thoughts & practical advice,

 

Oooh'er I will tell Agnes straight away ... although not sure if Agnes knows how to apply the vaseline, nor even where t is for that matter!!

Okay okay I certainly don't!!!

I guess gloves will be in order, a finger & ooh pray do explain depth, measurements ..anything would be most appreciated too.

 

( Hmmm anyone like very nice coffee, cakes, lunch - dinner .. bribery bribery anyone near to me in Kent who knows how to apply vaseline to the laying tackle ? )

 

I mean she doesn't seem in any discomfort . . .maybe it is speckling after all

 

Think i'll try the rice first , suppose I will have to separate her & keep her locked up as oppsed to free ranging, aw bless i think she will hate that as she loves free ranging.

 

 

Ms Tillywillputgloves&vaselineonhershoppinglist

[frenchlayer]

ewe, it was definately a 'do as I say, not do as I do!!'

 

 

DO NOT READ ON IF SQUEEMISH - ABOUT TO EAT - OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT MIGHT NOT HELP.

 

 

I have no idea, I would do it gently. I know when I was looking for mites I had to get pretty close, and Sue's vent seemed to pulse open and shut, which was extremely worrying as I seen from a distrance feathers go down and a jet of poo come out! So I would have a quick peek, remove face, another quick peak and it was most off putting it opening and closing. I didn't know if that was normal or not, so I looked at Eggluntine's and hers was doing the same so that was good, but unnerving none the less.

 

I would get a fingerful, get someone else to hold the feathers apart because otherwise it will just end up on the feathers and not the vent, and take a big breath, and wipe gently around. Remember gloves if you have them. Heave a sigh of relief and hope she is not too mad at you.

 

Bonne courage mon amie.

[Ms Tilytinkle]

SACRE BLEU !!!!

 

Glad i noticed you had a chicken named Egglutine!!!!!!!!

(I was just about to make some mischievous comment about your posting etiquette

as Im sure our dear Eglutine wouldnt have shown you any such thing . . .anyway .. .

 

ooh dear . .. will try the rice etc first!!!!!!!!

 

MsTilyhopesthesunisshining