COLLECTING
Don’t Miss Your Chance
It’s best to collect eggs often, about twice daily. You want to be sure to get them as quickly as possible, to prevent from any of the hens eating the eggs. If a hen develops a habit of eating eggs, it’s impossible to reverse. Eggs are also very vulnerable to bacteria and cracking so, the longer they sit out, the more likely they are to get damaged.
Bring A Proper Basket
You’ll want to use a wire or plastic, rust-free basket to carry your eggs in when you collect them. Also, you don’t want to stack the eggs too high in your basket to minimize risk of breaking.
CLEANING
Mind The Bloom
Every egg has a special coating that protects from bacteria, called The Bloom. It’s preferable to maintain this coating so, try to clean your eggs simply by wiping them with a rough cloth. If the eggs are extra dirty or have yolk on them, use a damp cloth or running tap water.
Temperature Is Everything
Eggs are extremely vulnerable to cracking after collection. Temperature only makes this worse. Be sure to avoid moving the eggs between extreme temperatures. If you need to wash them with water, make sure the water isn’t too hot or too cold, but very close to the temperature of the eggs. Air dry or dry with a paper towel and store!
STORING
Date Your Eggs
Keep track of collection dates so you know how long your eggs will last. If you’re storing them in the refrigerator, they will last about 4-5 weeks, maybe a little longer. You can always test the egg out to see if it floats in water (if it does, it’s bad).
To Fridge or Not To Fridge
If you washed your eggs with water, you’ll need to store them in the refrigerator because the Bloom is no longer protecting them from bacteria. If you dry cleaned them, you can leave them out. But, eggs do last longer in the fridge so it’s really up to you.