How to Wash Freshly Laid Eggs

One of the best things about raising backyard chickens is having a supply of freshly laid eggs in your kitchen at all times. However, if you want to take advantage of that supply, you must take care of your chickens’ eggs properly. This includes washing them and storing them for when you finally need them.

Why you should wash freshly laid eggs

So, why should you wash your chickens’ freshly laid eggs? For starters, it helps to protect yourself from diseases. Your chickens’ eggs will get into contact with a lot of dirt and feces. Even if they look clean on the surface doesn’t mean that they don’t have any bacteria on them. These bacteria can then cause coli or salmonella poisoning in anyone who eats an unwashed egg.

Cleaning eggs with water

Washing your chickens’ eggs before eating them is extremely important as it can prevent yourself from getting sick. Thankfully, washing them is relatively easy. There are two main methods for cleaning eggs—one that uses water, and one that does not. Here are the steps you should follow when cleaning your eggs with water:

1. Fill a bowl with warm (not hot) water
2. Dip your egg into the water and gently wipe them clean
3. Rinse the egg under running water
4. Gently dry
5. Check for cracks. If your eggs are cracked, toss them.

Dry cleaning eggs

You can also dry clean your chickens’ eggs, which means cleaning them without water. While cleaning your chickens’ eggs with water is typically safe, it does run the risk of having the water drive the bacteria into the membrane. Dry cleaning, meanwhile, will rid an egg of dirt while protecting it from bacteria by using a pliable sandpaper brush along the shell of an egg.

Have more questions about how to clean your freshly laid eggs? Then feel free to contact Chickens for Backyards for any of your chicken raising needs.