4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[chick wiggle]

hi Y'all

 

Just beginning to get the odd egg now, very exciting! But some people have asked do i wash them considering where they've come from! Well to be honest i dont know if i should or not. Dont eggs come down a different tract from ermm... other stuff?

 

Also, i know eggs should not be refrigerated but how long do they stay fresh left on the counter?

[westleigh]

21 days on the counter,and i wipe my eggs i never wash them hope this helps a little

[Dora]

well I usually wash them , ( just wipe them over under a running tap ) then dry them and keep them in the fridge .

[Minnie the Moocher]

I wash them only if they are muddy or poopy.

 

A lot of people say not to wash because the shells are porous, but to my way of thinking that can only mean the mud and poop can go through too, especially if they are sat on a counter top for a few days.

 

I never refrigerate, but if I did I certainly wouldn't want mud or anything else inside my fridge.

 

It comes down to personal preference, doesn't it?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

This is a topic that occurs fairly frequently (understandably!)

 

Here are some threads you may find interesting ....

 

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=39796&p=623358&hilit=washing+eggs#p623358

 

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=34774&p=541582&hilit=+washing+eggs#p541582

 

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=33475&hilit=+washing+eggs

[Egluntyne]

I wipe the unless they are very dirty, then they get a brief dunk in tepid water.

 

I don't refrigerate them either.

 

Not killed anyone yet.

 

As far as I know.

[chick wiggle]

thank you all, and for the links Aint "Ooops, word censored!"ody here, so.. wipe of any excess poo and dont wash untill using is the general gist I guess.

[Hen Watch]

Never wash or clean mine unless I'm giving them away to friends and then any really mucky ones get a wipe down with damp kitchen roll. Other than that I don't bother and I leave mine out on the kitchen counter stored on a nice Egg Skelter (sold by Freddie on this forum).

[ubereglu]

I wipe them with a damp piece of kitchen towel, wait for them to dry off and then put them in an eggbox in the fridge...I don't own an eggskelter...yet!

[Rock N Rose]

I just run mine under a cold tap for a second or two then wipe clean with kitchen towel then pop em in the fridge for a few days, no probs yet.

[Kittycat]

I'm sorry - I seem to be missing the point here...Why on earth do you need to wash/clean shells that are not dirty? I appreciate they come out of a chicken's backside but no-one (I assume) is actually eating the shells! I'm sure farmers that sell free-range eggs don't bother wiping and washing them all before we buy them and I have certainly never washed any egg that I've bought from a farm shop...

 

I for one just keep my eggs on the Eggskelter on the counter and never wash them unless caked in poop - and I am still alive

[Snowy]

You really shouldn't wash or wipe them with anything damp. Have you noticed when they are first laid that they are wet? That 'wet' dries really quickly and creates a protective film over the shell. Damp wiping removes that and makes the shell more porous again allowing air and bacteria to enter. The more air that enters, they quicker it will go off. Poo etc only goes onto the egg after the protective coating has been applied, so just needs to be dry wiped off. The only time mine are wet is if I've had an egg breakage in the nest box and they are all yolky. Then they get a hot rinse, dry and are used as soon as possible.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I have to admit to never washing our eggs (unless they're being given away, which doesn't happen often & then I just wipe them ). When I break an egg open none of the contents comes into contact with the shell anyway, so it doesn't bother me if there's a bit of dried whatnot on the shell .

[Olly]

Two of my hens sleep in the nest-box, so the eggs are sometimes a bit pooey. I don't worry too much about that, but as I often use them for baking I'd be worried that a bit of poo might get into the egg mixture when I break them, so if there's poo on them I wash them quickly in warm water.

 

I wouldn't bother otherwise ... they come out of the vent, same as poo, but there is a different tract inside the hen for most of the way, sandie, so they're not actually passing through the hen's digestive tract.

[badgerbluebadger]

A bit of dirt never harmed anyone - well not so far!

[kerrie]

I don't wash my eggs either. If they are dirty I dry wipe them clean other than that I leave them Mind you I don't often get too see them-there's a line of children waiting for them whatever time they are laid and they get used as soon as they are laid I've even had one daughter talking to Isabelle as she laid encouraging her to hurry up as she 'needed' the egg Isabelle being Isabelle took no notice and did things in her own time