# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Livestock and Animal Husbandry >  Egg storage

## huntermj

This is a good story on the difference on commercial handing of eggs between America and the UK. Which would you rather have.
*Why American Eggs Would Be Illegal In A British Supermarket, And Vice Versa*

Believe it or not, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) graded  eggs would be illegal if sold in the UK, or indeed anywhere in the  European Union (EU). It’s all to do with the fact that commercial  American eggs are federally required to be washed and sanitized before  they reach the consumer. EU egg marketing laws, on the other hand, state  that Class A eggs – those found on supermarkets shelves, must not be  washed, or cleaned in any way.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaaru...nd-vice-versa/

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## crashdive123

Interesting article.  While it seems to make sense that sanitizing the eggs before going to commercial market makes sense, it seems that the cuticle that is washed away in the process would have done pretty much the same thing.  It would be interesting to know if there is a difference in the occurrence of illness caused by eggs with the two different approaches.

By the way ---- where the heck have you been?  Good to see you back.

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## Rick

That is a good article. It's one of the reasons I never let the grand kids crack eggs when they help in the kitchen. Once I crack eggs I immediately wash my hands to prevent cross contamination. And welcome back.

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## finallyME

I think I tend to side with the EU on this one.  Leave it in the state that nachur intended, and give the responsibility of care to the consumer.  Hey, if all else fails, Darwin will take over.

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## shiftyer1

Up until this I I've raised chickens,  if the eggs are UNWASHED the can be keep on the kitchen counter or cupboard or whatever and they keep for months.  After you wash them refridgeration is a must.  

Not a big deal with one dozen but it sure is nice when you end up with a BUNCH of eggs :Smile:

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## Roel

In the Netherlands we do not wash our eggs. Storage mostly in the basement, always a good temperature. They stay well for at least 7 weeks. After that we do the water test.

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## amateur survivalist

When an egg is laid there is a natural film on it that prevents bacteria from growing. When you wash the egg the was commercial companies do it removes the film. Hence I will never buy store bought again. I been raising chickens for about 5 years now. Ain't bought eggs for a while now ;-)

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## Graf

The natural covering is called Bloom by most, I usally have 5 dozen eggs at the house, last year i decided to store out of the fridge just on the counter. What i do is cover them with minerl oil which replaces the natural bloom and protects the egg. I have read this will store the egg safely for up to 9 months I have had eggs 3-4 months and still good. Before cracking open I see if they flaot in a bowl of water if they do they are bad and you don't want to crack them open, nasty smell.

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## kyratshooter

I raise chickens too, but I have an aversion to placing an egg covered in chicken crap in my fridge. 

Crap covered eggs get washed, relatively clean ones get left alone.

As for producers washing supermarket eggs,,,  who cares???

You buy them a dozen at a time and eat them within a week.  That does not pose a problem in my book and seems like one of those things people worry over when they have no really big life problems to deal with.

As for the legalities???  Why should it be if any national interest if I wash eggs or don't wash eggs?  Don't they have terrorists to catch, budgets to ignore and elections to win?

*Talk about intrusion into every area of daily life!!!*

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## Old GI

My wonderful Bride told me about egg washing last week and the shelf life as we have some eggs from local ranches.  Thought she was "blowing smoke".

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## Rick

I think the concern is salmonella. Breaking open an egg covered in chicken poop is not high on my bucket list.

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## kyratshooter

Salmonella is more problem in the factory egg farms.

The last statistics I saw claimed that on small farm raised chickens only one out of 25,000 eggs tested positive for salmonella.

But Salmonella is not the only disease chickens transfer in their poop.  

Here we are in the 21st Century, knowing about infectious disease, taking flu shots, washing our hands up to the elbows every time we shake hands and insulting everyone around by using hand sanitizer after we touch them,  and we are going to put chicken crap covered eggs in our fridge !!!

But most people do not understand that chickens are not mammals.  Mammals have separate reproductive and digestive systems.  

The colon of a chicken serves as both reproductive and excretion tracks.  The egg has to go through the poop when it is laid.

It's not "BLOOM"!!!  That is just another polite term for housewives/academics to use in front of the kids. It is a thin layer of transparent chicken poop covering the surface of the shell.

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## sjj

A little "off topic" but any suggestions on best tasting eggs?  Thanks.

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## crashdive123

Not sure if there is a way to tell the difference with store bought or not.  I usually get Eggland's Best and have never been disappointed.

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## Batch

No shift!?

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## Tokwan

Title and contents did not jive as the title was egg storage but the content was about US and UK eggs? Got me confused. I was thinking it was about how to store eggs?

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## randyt

So if chicken crap is rubbed on a egg, it will preserve it? LOL. Probably so because no one will eat it LOL

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## hunter63

For those on "those diets"....Egg Beaters...

http://www.eggbeaters.com/healthy-ea...tion?#breading
Quote>
18. What's the right way to store Egg Beaters?

For storage purposes, you can keep an opened carton of Egg Beaters in your refrigerator for up to seven days. Our convenient, resealable pour-spout package makes that easier than ever, and prevents messy refrigerator spills. Unopened refrigerated Egg Beaters can be stored fresh in the refrigerator until the expiration date printed on each package.

 Frozen Egg Beaters packages can be stored in the freezer for up to one year after purchase. After you have defrosted a frozen package, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to seven days, but do not refreeze.
<quote.

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