When you are dealing with farm-fresh eggs, there is a lot you need to know. The main reason most people keep chickens is because of the farm-fresh eggs those special chickens produce each day! Most people get their eggs from a farm or they have chickens to lay the eggs for them. While eggs aren’t traditionally complicated, there are some things you need to know about farm-fresh eggs.
Table of Contents
- How to Clean Chicken Eggs
- How to Store Chicken Eggs
- Farm Fresh Chicken Eggs Vary in Size
- What to do With Chicken Poop on Eggs?
- What are Nesting Boxes?
- Why Do Eggshells Have Different Colors?
- How to Know if Farm Fresh Eggs are Good
- Do Chickens Get Mad if You Take Their Eggs?
- What’s the Difference in Taste Between Farm Fresh and Store Bought?
- Do Rodents Eat Chicken Eggs?
- Why Do My Chicken Eggs Have Blood Spots on Them?
- Final Word
How to Clean Chicken Eggs
Should you clean chicken eggs right away? I say no. This is because when you wash the eggs you’re washing off the bloom. Washing eggs should come later, not before you store them on your countertop. When you do decide to wash the chicken eggs you need to use warm water so that it kills the bacteria.
How to Store Chicken Eggs
For most of your life, you have stored eggs in the fridge to keep them from going bad. When you buy eggs from the store, you should keep those in the fridge. However, eggs straight from the chicken to your home have bloom (a protective layer). Bloom helps keep the bacteria out of the eggshell and the egg itself.
You can store farm fresh chicken eggs on the countertop for a month and they will still be good. At that point, you may want to start moving them to the fridge.
I like to eat my farm fresh eggs within two weeks. I think they taste better that way! Since there are only two of us at home, we don’t go through as many eggs as some of you bigger families.
Keeping eggs at room temperature is a good thing. This keeps eggs at the right temp for cooking too. Yes, eggs stored on the shelf or countertop are safe to eat.
Farm Fresh Chicken Eggs Vary in Size
As you buy eggs or raise chickens who lay eggs, you will notice that some eggs are big and some eggs are small. Some breeds of chickens lay really big eggs and some lay really small eggs. The size of the egg you get depends on the day and the chicken. I guess that’s what is special about farm fresh eggs, they’re all pretty unique!
What to do With Chicken Poop on Eggs?
If you don’t know this, it’s time that you do. Chicken poop and chicken eggs come out of the same spot. You can usually tell a farm-fresh egg from a store-bought egg because the farm-fresh egg is likely to have some poop on it.
What are Nesting Boxes?
If you have thought about having your own chickens, you may be wondering what a nesting box is. As fancy as it sounds, it’s just a box in which chickens can lay their eggs. The neat thing about nesting boxes is that you can put a variety of items to make it more nest-like.
Wood shavings and straw are good choices for a nesting box. You can also use sawdust in nesting boxes. Nesting boxes need to have their content changed every couple of weeks. This helps keep everything more sanitary.
Why Do Eggshells Have Different Colors?
The really cool thing about farm fresh eggs is the color! There is nothing more to the shell of an egg than the chicken itself. The breed of the chicken is the only thing that determines the color of the shell. The color of the egg doesn’t really matter all too much.
You will notice there are white eggs, brown eggs, and I’ve even seen a blue egg before. Free-range eggs can even have different egg sizes bases on the type of chicken you have!
How to Know if Farm Fresh Eggs are Good
If you have a farm-fresh egg, there isn’t any kind of expiration date on it. You need to know all about whether those eggs are good or bad. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
- Fill a bowl with fresh cold water.
- If the eggs sink to the bottom, they are fresh.
- If they are semi-fresh, they will stand on one end on the bottom.
- If they are not fresh at all, they will float to the top.
Of course, if you are like me and don’t really pay attention to the date of the eggs, none of this really matters. And some of you go through eggs so quickly, you don’t even have to worry about whether the eggs are fresh or not.
Do Chickens Get Mad if You Take Their Eggs?
You would naturally think a chicken would be mad if there was someone taking their eggs. However, for the most part, they aren’t bothered by it. As long as you aren’t hurting the chicken or scaring it, you should have no problem going for those eggs!
What’s the Difference in Taste Between Farm Fresh and Store Bought?
If you have ever purchased store-bought and also tried farm-fresh, there really isn’t any comparison. Farm fresh eggs are so much better. They are fresher and the taste is obvious. Of course, if you’re used to eating store-bought eggs, you may not be sure of the taste right away. However, I think farm fresh is better, hands down.
Do Rodents Eat Chicken Eggs?
Good question. Do rodents eat chicken eggs? Rats have no problem raiding and killing young chickens and taking eggs for themselves. This is something you really have to stay on top of.
You can keep mice and other rodents out of the area by storing eggs in proper spots after they have been laid. You can also keep mice out of the area by keeping things as clean as possible.
- Set traps if needed
- Store feed properly
- Keep the coop as clean as possible
- Call a professional if you need to
You do not want a problem of mice or rats eating your chicken eggs. Take proper precautions to keep this from happening.
Why Do My Chicken Eggs Have Blood Spots on Them?
If you have never seen blood spots on your chicken eggs, you may be wondering what these spots mean. A blood spot on the chicken egg is simply a ruptured blood vessel in the chicken when she was laying the egg. Most experts would agree that this is nothing to worry about.
Final Word
If you’re on the fence about farm fresh eggs, then perhaps this post will help you understand the process a little more. Farm fresh eggs have been around for as long as humanity can remember.
Use them in your omelets, store them on your countertops, and don’t get nervous about a little blood spot. Farm fresh eggs are nutritious and safer than anything store-bought.
