Space Chick Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 according to the food standards agency I've had chickens so long now, I'd forgotten they were stamped with a best before date Teaching consumers the "float test" may have been more useful though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 this comes up a lot on my courses; people are always astonished to know that supermarket are commonly as old as 2 weeks after lay date. If I find a clutch of hidden eggs in the garden, I float test them to discard the rotten ones and the dogs get the others as they are usually covered in mud. it's worth remembering that the shell is semi-porous, so if the egg has got wet or damp then there's a chance that bacteria will be introduced through the shell. That's why we don't recommend that you wash eggs or keep them in the fridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 this comes up a lot on my courses; people are always astonished to know that supermarket are commonly as old as 2 weeks after lay date. If I find a clutch of hidden eggs in the garden, I float test them to discard the rotten ones and the dogs get the others as they are usually covered in mud. it's worth remembering that the shell is semi-porous, so if the egg has got wet or damp then there's a chance that bacteria will be introduced through the shell. That's why we don't recommend that you wash eggs or keep them in the fridge. Prob is with my eggs they are always covered in poop I always do the float test too, even the ones from the supermarket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Just rub them with a bit of dry kitchen paper to get the worst off. Are they pooing in the nest then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Mine poo in the nest, so sometimes we get poo on the eggs....not very nice. 2 girls (the lesser mortals in the pecking order) sleep there....have poked and prodded them when they go in and a couple of hours later and they still creep back in after we have gone to bed. Have thought about blocking it off...infact I think we did and then had broken eggs on the rails. Any suggestions/ideas much appreciated. Incidentally OH gets up early @5am so that is when they are let out, so still eggs laid early or at least they were when we tried blocking it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkee1965 Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Mine poop in the nest. When I let them out in the morning I poop pick the tray and nest area so that its clean for when they lay later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Have been teaching children how to float test this afternoon. We found a load of ducks eggs at work that weren't in the usual spot and weren't sure how long they'd been there for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Just rub them with a bit of dry kitchen paper to get the worst off. Are they pooing in the nest then? Always Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I've found that the smallest size of tub trug fits neatly into the round hole between the nest box and roosting area in the cube; I just bung it in at night and take it out in the morning. Roosting on their breastbones instead of on a roosting bar will lead to bruising and bone damage, it makes them too hot too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...