Are “Fresh Local Eggs” Safe?

[REWahoo]

Dying by the thousands from eating unrefrigerated, local eggs.

I thought the high death rate was due to only working a 35 hour week.

 

[jazz4cash]

Thanks to all for the replies. I’ll check back when I take the next step.

 

[audreyh1]

Back around 1980 I was living in the San Diego area, down by the border - - so close that at night I could see the lights of Tijuana from my front door. Most of our neighbors spoke Spanish and we were the oddballs.

The local grocery store in that neighborhood was not a chain store, and it never refrigerated the eggs. Instead the store kept them in one of those "end-of-the-aisle displays. I was initially appalled, but then decided "hey, when in Rome, do as the Romans do" and bought them anyway. I never had the slightest problem with them.

That said, I keep my eggs in my refrigerator, out of habit. Really I wouldn't know where else to keep them in my house.

Once they are washed you have to refrigerate them.

 

[MRG]

Before buying eggs from neighbor’s chickens, I like to interview the chickens first to get a sense on whether they are safe to eat. You know, ask what they eat, hobbies they have, whether they feel hen-pecked, why they cross roads - those sorts of things.

+1

They're smarter than people give them credit for. Actually they love if you hypnotize them, it's like petting dogs.

Chicken's are fascinating creatures. They have real pecking order. DW wanted fancy chickens, polish, aracuana etc. those only come straight run. So most years we'd get another 25, 12 would be roosters that would become dinner. You need to let them get full size and by then they're fighting. The most aggressive rooster would generally be the first meal.

It was interesting to see who would become the new boss rooster. Many times it was the one who appeared the weakest. Just as a note, this wasn't an exercise in weird chicken cruelty. It's a lot simpler to deal with a single chicken at a time, unless you have help.

 

[brewer12345]

We keep coturnix quail, which are a lot like miniature chickens and have been domesticated for 1000 years. They are fun to watch, but they are easily the dumbest animals I have ever seen. The eggs are very tasty, though. Opening 6 dozen to make a frittata is a good use of child labor.

 

[Dancfo]

A guy at work is friends with a person that has a farm with chickens. They apparently could not sell or use all of their eggs. They gave him a "box." He asked me if I wanted some, and I said, "sure." Well - he came to work the next day with somewhere around 90 (just a portion of the box) of them. He told me about not washing or refrigerating them until we were ready to use them. The box had a recent date on it when they were laid. The box sat in our pantry and it took us about 3 to 4 weeks to eat them all. We washed them prior to cooking and that was about it. No problems at all. They really tasted about the same as any other egg - but a bit better because of the price!

 

[cooch96]

You should avoid putting raw eggshells in your mouth. That’s gross; just think where that egg has been!

Otherwise, they’re about as safe as anything.

 

[cooch96]

We keep coturnix quail, which are a lot like miniature chickens and have been domesticated for 1000 years. They are fun to watch, but they are easily the dumbest animals I have ever seen.

Are they dumber than goldfish? I have bantam hens, and I reckon they’re about par with goldfish.

 

[brewer12345]

Are they dumber than goldfish? I have bantam hens, and I reckon they’re about par with goldfish.

Pretty much.

 

[Cayman]

Before buying eggs from neighbor’s chickens, I like to interview the chickens first to get a sense on whether they are safe to eat. You know, ask what they eat, hobbies they have, whether they feel hen-pecked, why they cross roads - those sorts of things.

I like to know the chicken's names. There's alot in a name.

 

[Ronstar]

I hope so. I eat 4 of them every morning.

 

[Music Lover]

Yes, they are safe. Cook them appropriately and you'll be fine. A couple times a year we will even pull some eggs out of.the quail pen and use them raw in sushi.

I find this question to be a sad commentary about how far we have been divorced from where our food comes from.

I don't think it's sad...these days you can buy more than 10,000 different food items from all over the world at your local grocery store and virtually be assured that they all will be safe if the correct storage techniques are used. People today are not required to know the shelf life of every single food item like they had to back in the day when refrigeration and airtight packaging didn't exist and their diet consisted of a very small fraction of what we have available today.

 

[JoeWras]

Timely topic.

A visiting friend gifted us a dozen right from their back yard chickens. The shells ranged in color from brown to green-brown. For "safety," we washed right before using, but not before. I ate them scrambled, fried medium, soft (on the thick side) without problems.

I did notice the yolks tended to be more dark golden. There was a variety in the way the yolks stood up. I guess it depends on the chickens and whether they were eating a lot of feed or maybe it was a big tick day. (Chickens are a great way to get ticks out of your yard... just don't think about it much when you eat the eggs...)

In the end? I didn't find much difference in taste from the store variety. I like the consistency of the store variety better, so I'll probably stick with them.

 

[cooch96]

I don't think it's sad...these days you can buy more than 10,000 different food items from all over the world at your local grocery store and virtually be assured that they all will be safe if the correct storage techniques are used. People today are not required to know the shelf life of every single food item like they had to back in the day when refrigeration and airtight packaging didn't exist and their diet consisted of a very small fraction of what we have available today.

Excellent point about modern convenience, but I have to agree with Brewer. Being concerned about non factory eggs feels sad and paranoid to me. It’s understandable considering all the food scare headlines we see, but I can’t imagine a more wholesome food than eggs from free range chickens.

 

[Choices]

We have just gotten 6 bantam hens, 4 different varieties. They are fun to watch, especially if I toss earthworms in their pen , shredded zucchini is almost as much fun. Even the fancy ones with feathered feet scratch in the dirt. They seem smart enough...all we want are eggs, not witty conversation.
These girls won’t start laying for a while yet. In the meantime we have lots of quail eggs from DS Birds.

 

[MRG]

Excellent point about modern convenience, but I have to agree with Brewer. Being concerned about non factory eggs feels sad and paranoid to me. It’s understandable considering all the food scare headlines we see, but I can’t imagine a more wholesome food than eggs from free range chickens.

+1

I can't imagine how trout in the "fresh fish" case compares with what I catch and clean. Yes sometimes that fish has caviar too. Better get rid of that. [emoji12]

Same with chickens. We raised a bunch of old fashioned meat birds one year. Not at all like cornish cross. These birds had muscle, blood vessels, and something unique. Taste!

It's sad to me that many folks have no idea what they're eating.

 

[jazz4cash]

Yes, they are safe. Cook them appropriately and you'll be fine. A couple times a year we will even pull some eggs out of.the quail pen and use them raw in sushi.

I find this question to be a sad commentary about how far we have been divorced from where our food comes from.

I gotta say I expected some members might take pot shots at me for posing this question but I never expected to be shamed in public, (half kidding). I grew up in the city and have no clue about these things. People throwing terms like paranoid around was a surprise as well. The main concern I had was maybe the chickens are in contact with lawn chemicals, etc. As usual I learned a lot, so Thanks to all.

 

[brewer12345]

I gotta say I expected some members might take pot shots at me for posing this question but I never expected to be shamed in public, (half kidding). I grew up in the city and have no clue about these things. People throwing terms like paranoid around was a surprise as well. The main concern I had was maybe the chickens are in contact with lawn chemicals, etc. As usual I learned a lot, so Thanks to all.

It wasn't meant as a pot shot at you, just a comment on our society. I shake my head at stuff like my sister turning her nose up at the lamb's quarter growing in her yard because the dog might have pissed in the patch and then going to whole paycheck to buy industrially produced "organic" greens.

 

[FUEGO]

In the end? I didn't find much difference in taste from the store variety. I like the consistency of the store variety better, so I'll probably stick with them.

+1

We get free eggs from my mother in law all the time. Kind of a pain in the butt to wash them before eating them to get the feces and tiny feathers off. And we have kids that cook themselves eggs unsupervised so there's a slight concern that they won't wash the eggs and they'll get some chicken-$hit diseases. Occasionally we get a questionable egg.

In contrast, the eggs from the grocery store are a buck thirty, thoroughly washed, and sanitized. Can't recall ever getting a bad egg.

My conclusion is the home raised free range organic boutique eggs are inconvenient, but hey they're free! I'd rather have the store bought for the convenience though.

 

[JoeWras]

It is a fair question because very recently there were a lot of stories about people getting salmonella from their backyard chickens. Turns out this was due to contact with the chickens, i.e. hugging and kissing them without a post hand wash. As for the eggs they are fine. But like most anything, wash before you use, and wash your hands if handling. The news media can drive you crazy!

Recent example story.

Why backyard chickens are a health risk

P.S. To the news media: walking in my back yard is a health risk too. The following may happen for a NC backyard:
- Twisted ankle
- Tree or branch fall
- Copperhead bite
- Tick bite resulting in Lyme
- Tick bite resulting in fatal Rocky Mountain spotted fever. This is real in NC, no joke.
- Tick bite resulting in emerging diseases: babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, reckettsiosi, STARI
- Mosquito bite resulting in fatal West Nile
- Poison Ivy, Oak (no joke! many coworkers per year lose time over this)
- Etc.

Hence, do not go outside. Stay inside and listen to the news. They know everything and will keep you safe. Buy some of the products they advertise and all will be well. I'm sure Amazon will sell some egg product that is blended and sanitized. It will be delivered to your front door. All will be well, right?

 

[Ed B]

I am very well acquainted with how my neighbor's chickens are treated and fed.

In addition to the cracked corn and other stuff their owners toss out to feed them, the chickens spend a portion of each day in my yard scratching for bugs, worms and seeds including, or especially, the pricey bird seed my wife puts out for the cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, etc. in our front yard.

Their eggs taste just fine and no one has gotten sick yet.

 

[Nemo2]

the chickens spend a portion of each day in my yard scratching for bugs, worms .

OMG, they eat worms? Ewwwww.

 

[Ed B]

OMG, they eat worms? Ewwwww. [emoji23]

[emoji3]

I have heard it said by the previous generation that a chicken will eat what a pig passes up. I know for a fact they will clean up dog turds. My dad used a couple to keep his kennel of hunting dogs clean many years ago. I generally wouldn't eat the eggs out of principle. One day I was over there for breakfast and he served up some bacon and eggs. I mentioned that the eggs had a funny tasting "twang" to them. Then I realized I was eating dog-turd eggs. Woof! What they are fed makes a difference. [emoji13]

 

[audreyh1]

I am very well acquainted with how my neighbor's chickens are treated and fed.

In addition to the cracked corn and other stuff their owners toss out to feed them, the chickens spend a portion of each day in my yard scratching for bugs, worms and seeds including, or especially, the pricey bird seed my wife puts out for the cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, etc. in our front yard.

Their eggs taste just fine and no one has gotten sick yet.

Thats exactly what chickens are supposed to eat - some plants and insects as well as feed.

 

[JoeWras]

Thats exactly what chickens are supposed to eat - some plants and insects as well as feed.

I'm fine with that.


The dog turd post above this disturbs me though!