Handling Eggs

[Graygarden]

Hi!
This is my first year raising chickens (we have 4) and they are beginning to regularly lay eggs. I’ve seen many posts on safe handling of eggs but I had a few questions.
I have decided to refrigerate our eggs. I know many say to refrigerate without washing to preserve bloom which I plan on doing. Is it ok to refrigerate right away? Or will that quick switch to cooler temp be an issue?
When we wash the eggs before use, how much of a wash should we be doing?
I want to be sure I’m doing everything safely.
Thank you!

 

[TooCheep]

Washing eggs is optional/not necessary if the egg is clean to start with. They can go in the fridge right away.
If you wash, just use some water and rub off any dirt. Keep their nest material fresh to minimize dirt.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have decided to refrigerate our eggs. I know many say to refrigerate without washing to preserve bloom which I plan on doing. Is it ok to refrigerate right away? Or will that quick switch to cooler temp be an issue?

No issues going that way. If you take the cool eggs out of the fridge into warmer humid air you could get condensation on them but that is not what you are doing. And you are using them so no big deal. If you were giving them to someone else the condensation might be an issue, depending on how much it is.

When we wash the eggs before use, how much of a wash should we be doing?

I just rinse mine, not much more than passing them under running water, unless they are kind of dirty. Then I rub them clean with my fingertips under running water. The recommendation is that the water be a bit warmer than the eggs, which it should be with them straight from the fridge. If the water were cooler than the egg, it could cause the air cell to shrink since air reduces in volume when it gets cooler. That could cause the water to be pulled into the egg through the porous shell. With warmer water the opposite happens. No water gets sucked in.