PRESERVING EGG FRESHNESS Check your nesting boxes every day! The best way to keep your eggs fresh is to collect them as soon as they’ve been laid and put them straight in the fridge. As a rule of thumb, as much freshness is lost in 3 days at room temperature as in 3 weeks in the refrigerator! It is also important to check that your eggs are uncracked, clean and dry. To wash or not to wash? It may surprise you to know that washing eggs is often not the best thing for them. Egg shells are porous, and washing has the potential to allow harmful bacterial inside. This can become a food poisoning risk, even in fresh eggs. But wait. What about commercial eggs? Don’t they get washed? Yes - it’s standard practice for commercial egg producers to wash eggs. However, these producers are obliged to follow strict procedures established by the Australian Food Standard Code, to ensure the safety of their product. As a backyard producer, you are unlikely to be able to reproduce these conditions, so we don’t recommend washing your eggs. The good news is that if you’re maintaining your nesting boxes and following good hygiene practices in your hen house, your eggs shouldn’t need washing. If an egg does get a bit dirty, give it a brush with a clean, dry, abrasive cloth, using a gentle rubbing motion. BACTERIA FROM DIRT AND STAINS CAN PENETRATE EVEN THROUGH AN UNBROKEN SHELL AND CAUSE THE EGG TO GO OFF, AND MOISTURE SPEEDS THE PROCESS. THE CHOOK BOOK | 17