Question about eggs...

[swd12422]

We get our eggs from a farm down the road. We have been using their eggs for a few months, and I've noticed something that I'd like your opinions on...

Some of the eggs (many more of them recently) aren't, well, "perfect" when cracked open. The yolks are sometimes not solid and often there is a cloudy area or the yolk seems dry and puckered, like the skin of a tomato left on the counter too long.

Is there something wrong with these eggs? Are they safe to eat?

I'm asking b/c lately I've noticed that I get sick after eating them. I wash them with soap and water before using, and DH hasn't had a problem. Is it possible they're bad? Or I'm allergic to their feed or something? We've gotten eggs from other backyard farmers in town and I've never had a problem...

[cameragirl]

Usually weak yolks are seen in older eggs. How do they store the eggs before you get them? In other countries they do store at room temperature, but they won't last as long as eggs stored in the fridge. Generally speaking, the dried out look means that the eggs are older as well. Farm fresh eggs should have a yolk that stands up when you crack the egg, and doesn't spill open very easily. You may notice a little white dot on one side of the yolk, and if they are very fresh, little white curly-q's called chalaza. (Those suspend the yolk within the egg.)

[swd12422]

We pick them up from the fridge. They collect the eggs in cartons and refrigerate them. I have no idea how often they collect the eggs, and they have a LOT of chickens (2-3 dozen, I think). So maybe these eggs are old and they're just not being collected immediately after laying? B/c it seems like there shouldn't be much of a lag between collecting and putting in the fridge -- the fridge is just across a small yard from the coop.

[cameragirl]

I wouldn't think that a small lag would do anything. It takes eggs a week in an incubator to start showing evaporation. Are you washing them as soon as you get them? Or before you cook? Wash them with water 20 degrees warmer than the egg, and before cooking if you have to. It's better to wipe off any dried poop, or gently sand it off. If they have a lot of poop, they probably need to clean the nesting boxes.

[Lovesong]

If you are worried I would buy your eggs from somewhere else. Especially since you are becoming sick after eating them. Probably they are still fine, just older eggs, but since you do have problems with them it is best to just switch.

We sometimes buy farm fresh eggs, and the only thing that varies in them from store bought ones is the size and the colour of the yolk (some are a pale yellow, some almost orange).

[swd12422]

Maybe I'm not using warm enough water... I am washing right before I use them.

Also, we return the egg cartons and they get reused... Is there any reason to think that could contribute to the problem? (I wouldn't think so, since it's not like I'm washing them and putting them back in the egg cartons that had unwashed eggs in them.... but I thought I'd ask...)

I'm going to ask if I can help out with the chickens, then maybe I can better see what issues (like cleaner nesting boxes) might be there. And at the very least, I might be able to collect the fresher eggs!

[cameragirl]

I don't see any issue with reusing cartons, as long as they're not really covered in poop. We reuse ours as well, but I make sure to wipe off any little bits of poop that might be on the eggs. I would see if you can get fresh eggs somehow (that you know are fresh), or possibly try somewhere else. Usually older eggs aren't a problem as far as bacteria goes, but better safe than sorry.

[FarmerBeth]

I sell eggs and eat my own, and it sounds like the eggs are older to me.  I recommend washing (as opposed to dry wiping) off right before eating, not earlier, as washing can push the bacteria into the shell.  Also, it should be OK to ask for a laying date on the eggs.

[swd12422]

How old do these eggs have to be, if they're cloudy and shriveled??

[cameragirl]

Well, that depends on the storage temperature. In the fridge, eggs are easily good for months before they do that. At room temperature, maybe a few weeks? At higher temps I'd say a week or so before they start to go funky if they aren't fertilized.

[swd12422]

Okay, so it's likely they're not collecting daily... And it's been hot here. And I have no idea if they're fertilized or not -- there are roosters in with the hens, but that doesn't mean every egg is fertilized, right? (That'd have to be quite the bunch of roosters, I think!)

[cameragirl]

Depends on the size of the birds, but I think they recommend about one rooster to 10 hens or so. I don't actually keep roosters since we're in a suburban area. Another consideration is that if they're free range, they girls might lay in random places. It may take some footwork to find the eggs. They like strange places like flower pots, etc.

[swd12422]

That seems to be about the ratio they have, without actually having counted all the birds. They have a coop attached to the "barn," so I've never been inside to see how big it is in there (or how many birds are hanging out inside), and then there's a wide caged run the length of the field where the "barn" is. So they are "free range" but not out in the open, completely free to roam anywhere. It doesn't seem like it'd be that hard to find the eggs, but it's a big place and I'm guessing egg collecting isn't high on the list.

It's hard for me to imagine that these eggs could be several weeks old though... And DH wasn't affected at all. Strange....

[cameragirl]

Some people just aren't as sensitive. My husband is one of them, while his brother easily gets food poisoning. If you feel comfortable, I would just ask how often they collect the eggs, and how they're stored. I doubt they'd go longer than a day or two in a setup like that. We check a few times a day, but then again, I'm a disabled/stay at home mom that home schools. That's a fun chore for my daughter.

[swd12422]

I think I'll ask, and also ask if they need someone to help collect. I'd love to have chickens in my own backyard, but that's not going to happen for a little while at least. So this way I can learn more about them, and also maybe help get the eggs into the fridge quicker so no one else has this issue. I'm kinda grossed out by the whole situation, but I really want this to work out since it's so close to home and the price is right!

[cameragirl]

Maybe they'd be willing to barter with you? Our friends like the fresh, organic eggs and have offered to barter. We trade for things like propane from a propane truck driver, baby sitting, etc. I would totally be willing to trade eggs with someone willing to help out in the coop.

[annethcz]

I've had similar issues with eggs in older hens.  So that could easily be it.  As for the rooster, I would really expect most of the eggs to be fertile.  Believe me, roosters get around.  It would not be a stretch for a rooster to mate with 10 hens/day.  Even a few times each day per hen.  It takes 5-10 seconds.  15 seconds if you include the part where he jumps on her back and grabs her neck in his beak before really getting down to it ;)

[cameragirl]

You know, I didn't think about old hens. Hens new to laying or finishing up laying can lay some really strange eggs. The wouldn't normally make you sick, though.