Lindy Loo Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Probably a bit of a daft question BUT... I know egg shells are porous and shouldn't be washed however in this weather the girls have very muddy feet and sometimes they trample the mud into the nesting box which makes the eggs dirty. I also have one or two hens with the bad habit of pooing in the nesting box at night (I have told them its anti social behaviour but will they listen?) so sometimes the eggs have a bit of poo on them too. Do I wipe the eggs with a damp cloth? If not, will the poo/dirt permeate the egg? Any advice welcome! Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 It's pretty grotty isn't it? We had a debate on this sometime back, and I can't remember where the thread is, but the upshot of it all was that they shouldn't be washed for the reason you mention. I put a plant pot in the nest at night to stop them sitting and pooing in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Did we not decided that, as long as the water you use is warmer than the shell of the egg, then giving it a quick rinse is fine, when confronted with pooey eggs. If the water is colder than the shell, then the wee holes in it expand, and let germs in, if the water is warmer the holes contract, and don't let germs in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 You remember more than me Shona - well done! Your brain cells must be younger than mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Loo Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 Thanks Shona - it all sounds very scientific! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 All my eggs are dirty & poohy & i give them away to people in this condition too - just so they get the message that they are free range and come as they are - dirty & poohy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 All my eggs are dirty & poohy & i give them away to people in this condition too - just so they get the message that they are free range and come as they are - dirty & poohy!!! Same here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Im proud of my dirty poohy eggs - my girls have worked hard to squeeze them out - even if they do land in pooh and then they walk over them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 My mother always gets given pooey eggs, because I'm just too lazy to wash them normally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I just wipe the worst bits off with damp kitchen paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Thats what I do too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Loo Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 Thats what I've always done as well until the lady up the road who used to keep chickens about 30 years ago exclaimed OH, NO, you MUST wash them or the poo will permeate the shell - hence the query! I must say my family and friends have never come to any harm from eating the odd dirty egg but it's good to get others views and opinions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I leave them unless they are excessively dirty, then I just wipe them over a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
church chooks Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 since my girls have taken up olympic pooing i scrub the eggs with a nail brush and warm water. I just do enough to get the poo off them - but otherwise my boys would either not eat them, or get poo in their scrambled eggs! i don't know which is better - leave it or not - but it feels more hygenic to remove the poo before i put them in the fridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I wash the eggs just before we use them if they aren't too 'muddy' - if they're really bad then I give them a quick rinse with luke warm water and wipe straight away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I am a washer too - its purely for looks.....I cannot stand to see an egg basket full of pooey eggs Just a quick rinse & a rub under warm water usually does it. Lily is a nest box sleeper,so poo on the eggs is a fact of life for us.She is also an early morning layer,& I am never up early enough to take a flower pot out of the nesting box I never keep them in the fridge though - shouldn't eggs be kept at room temperature (or is this a whole other debate? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
church chooks Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I thought that eggs shouldn't be used straight from the fridge, but that you can store them either in the fridge or the room. They do tend to absorb odours so it's up to you to decide if your fridge or your kitchen smells more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I only put mine in the fridge if I'm going to poach them, then they're perfect chilled for half an hour in the fridge before chucking them in the pan. Other than that, I keep them on the wall holder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I've got a 12 egg holder on the kitchen side - never yet got more than 6 eggs in it before they get eaten and although my girls do poo in the nest at night - they always kick it to one side before they lay their eggs so the eggs stay nice and clean ( I believe all designer hens do this.... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 and although my girls do poo in the nest at night - they always kick it to one side before they lay their eggs so the eggs stay nice and clean ( I believe all designer hens do this.... ) Such style and elegance from your two Laura! Mine have neither the time nor inclination to move the poo out of the way - Oh No! I admit to washing the mud and poo off with some warm water then drying them straight away A xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabbagepatch Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 and although my girls do poo in the nest at night - they always kick it to one side before they lay their eggs so the eggs stay nice and clean ( I believe all designer hens do this.... ) My girls are very clearly not designer!!! The mucky trollops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
