Egg Collection, Cleaning and Storage

Proper collection, handling, cleaning, storage and cooking of chicken and other poultry products will help ensure these products are safe to eat.

Gathering

Here is where you'll greatly benefit from those nesting boxes you built earlier. Although not required, the hens appreciate a safe place to lay their eggs, the eggs will be better protected and you'll appreciate not hunting around the coop or lawn trying to find them.

You'll want to be sure to keep plenty of bedding in the boxes such as shavings or hay. Try to keep the boxes clean - this includes excrement and ruined eggs. Hens will eat eggs and you do not want to allow your hens to learn how tasty eggs can be. If this happens, you'll end up having to remove the offending hens. Keep shells strong by supplying a free choice supplement.

Check for eggs frequently as this will minimize the risk of them breaking, being soiled and prematurely ageing if you're experiencing high temperatures.

Cleaning

Frequently collecting your eggs will minimize the excrement, feathers, dirt and other things that will sometimes cling to the egg shells. Egg shells are porous, so as long as the egg stays dry, the egg inside will stay safe. Bearing this in mind, inspect each egg for cracks and other defects. If you find eggs with significant cracks, it's best to discard the egg. Eggs with very minor cracks are often cooked for the dogs.

After examining the eggs for cracks and cleanliness, any bit needing to be removed can be carefully brushed off with a soft dmap paper towel or cloth. However, for really stuck in items, you'll want to use a sanitized rough sponge. If you want to wash the eggs in water, use water warmer than the egg, dry and then sanitize the eggshells

Storing

When you first start getting eggs, you'll be using them and storage won't seem a problem. However, as you continue to gather eggs, you'll find that just throwing them in the nearest bowl is not a viable system.

Eggs should be kept in the refrigerator and you can keep them for up to a month. For every 24 hours that an egg is kept at room temperature, it is the equivalent of one week of aging in the refrigerator.

Keep eggs in an egg carton - either open faced or closed, but have a system to keep track of the date gathered. One method that works well is using a labeler for the date gathered. If you don't have many chickens and don't anticipate keeping eggs for a month will be an issue, you can simple devise a system where older eggs are always kept so they are used first.

For boiled eggs, you'll want to use your older eggs. The best poached eggs are those that come directly from the coop. It is possible eggs can last longer than a month, but if you're suspect, place the egg in water. If it floats, it's air pocket is too large, so discard the egg.

Egg Freshness Indicators

There are four sure signs of a fresh egg. Unfortuantely you have to crack open the egg to find out, so it's best to keep a close inventory of your eggs.

The whites are thick and don't spread out as much.
The whites are a bit cloudy; this means that the naturally occurring carbon dixoxide has not yet had time to fully escape from the egg after hatching.
The yolk is firm and stands tall.
The chaslaze (the coiled cordlike attachments to the yolk) are prominent.

Poultry Meat Safety

How to be sure chicken and poultry products are safe to eat

Proper handling of poultry will help ensure safe consumption. Follow these steps for safer food:

Wash hands; clean and sanitize work surfaces and equipment.
Do not wash raw poultry.
Separate raw and cooked meat to avoid cross-contamination.
Cook meat thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keep raw poultry stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, or, if in the freezer, at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below.