EGG CLEANING

[Powyswales]

Hi, what is the recomended way to clean eggs? i have been washing them under the cold tap with just a very tiny amount of washing up liquid, but im worried some of the detergent may get through the pourus shell. Is there a better way?

[KarenE]

Hi

It's generally thought better not to clean the eggs - washing them removes the protective bloom that keeps bacteria out, so can actually do more harm washing them. If you can give them a quick scrub with a washing up sponge or something to get the dirt off that would be good. If you must wash them (ie if they're really dirty) then use warm water as apparently that causes the contents of the egg to expand, preventing the bacteria from entering (although I would guess when it contracts when cooled, the bacteria could come in then?) rather than cold.

Here's an interesting link:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/clean ... fresh-eggs

[Mo]

I liked this in the link

Try to keep dirt and mud in the coop and run to a minimum. Hens with dirty feet visiting the nest boxes to lay will mess the boxes and any eggs already in there up quickly

Hmmm.

[Spreckly]

I only ever clean my eggs just as I am about to use them. I must say they look pretty disgusting in my egg rack, and some of the dirt takes some getting off. We don't have our own hens now, but get eggs given by a neighbour. I run them under the hot tap in the wash house, and the dirt comes off.