SHOULD I KEEP MY BACK YARD EGGS IN THE KITCHEN? - Storing Eggs
Today I’m answering your question 'why do you keep your eggs out in the kitchen and should I do this too? '
Hi guys and welcome back to Moat Cottage Homesteading,
We are talking about backyard ducks and chicken eggs, that you’ve collected from your own back yard coupes, so you know when and where they have been laid.
Now I’m not telling you what to do, I wouldn’t want to do that, but there are a few things you need to know about eggs before you make your own choice, so you can make an educated decision.
1. LAWS
Be aware of the laws in the country where you live, different countries do things differently, have different diseases, different legal requirements and laws to egg storage.
For example Some chickens are vaccinated against salmonella and some aren’t, so we are not all starting with the same exact egg product.
It’s illegal to wash eggs some countries and illegal not to wash them in other countries.
2. ABOUT THE EGG - BLOOM / CUTICLE
Eggs are porous, which means they have pores that air and bacteria can get through. But nature is really cool, so eggs come with a protective layer around them, called the bloom, this protects the egg from bad bacteria getting in which is obviously healthier and it stops air from getting in which means your eggs last longer.
So washing your eggs will wash the bloom off.
If you are out in the coupe and a bird has just laid an egg, the bloom will still be wet, it needs a few minutes to dry.
So when you have an unwashed clean egg to store, it will safely last many weeks.
Once you wash off the bloom, you will need to store the eggs separately in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or use it in a day or two if at room temperature.
Weather you’re storing your eggs in the fridge or at room temperature, if the bloom is on, they will last longer.
3. CLEAN EGGS
You want clean eggs, salmonella can affect eggs so like when handling all produce, you want clean hands when collecting the eggs and a clean laying area and poultry run is vital, clean straw and or untreated wood chips can really help with this.
If your birds have a clean environment, they are more likely to be clean underneath and have clean feet. and therefore clean eggs.
Only store clean unwashed eggs together, don’t put any mucky eggs in your bowl because the muck can have bacteria and you don’t want that to contaminate your clean eggs. I keep my mucky eggs separate and when I’m making hard boiled eggs for the dogs, I wash them and add them to the water.
4. FRAGILE
Obviously we all know eggs are fragile, so be careful handling your eggs, you don’t want a small crack in any of the eggs, because this is a way for bacteria and air to get in and make a bad egg, which can contaminate other eggs.
Be gentle collecting the eggs and when putting them into a bowl, ideally it is better to keep them in brand new egg container- not second hand ones, because they can have bacteria on them. But I like to use my bowls so this is what I do.
5. TEMPERATURE
Temperature affects the eggs shelf life and temperature fluctuations can increase the risk of salmonella.
I find my chicken eggs easily last around 4 weeks and my duck eggs at least 6 weeks, out on the counter.
I don’t have temperature control in my kitchen, no heating or cooling, so while the room varies from 9C in winter to 40c in summer (48f - 104f) there aren’t great fluctuations in temperature at any one time.
Warmer temperatures will speed up the shelf life of the eggs and If you do store eggs in the fridge and take them out, they need to be used in 2 hours due to the temperature change and moisture this creates.
You see while refrigeration can assist to reduce the risk of salmonella, moisture created from the temperature changes when you take an egg out of the fridge, can increase the risk of salmonella.
Remember you can Float test eggs for freshness, If they float they are no good.
I hope your girls lay you plenty of eggs and now you can manage them safer.
Cheers Elissa
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