3 Ways to Keep Your Eggs Free of Dirt

There’s nothing more enjoyable than heading out to the chicken coop and bringing back some fresh eggs. Sizzling them up on the frying pan with bacon and toast.

What about when you grab those chicken eggs bring them in and realize you can’t just crack it open without, well what exactly is all over the egg?

If you want to keep your chicken eggs clean there are three key things to know.

Keep the nesting boxes clean.

I find in the winter our hens will roost in the nesting boxes to keep warm. This means there is a lot more poop building up in that spot.

Daily you will need to scoop out the nesting box and fill it with fresh straw or whatever material you are using.

If you are having a difficult time getting your hens to lay in a nesting box try these tips.

If you have bantams or other smaller birds I tend to find they go in the nesting boxes at night. Try creating a new space for these birds who do not like to roost up high.

This way you won’t need to change out the nesting box bedding as frequently. You can add extra straw over in the corner of a coop or even create an enclosed area using an old tote.

Keep the area outside the nesting box clean

In the spring your hens are loving the mud, but the nesting boxes not so much. You will want to keep a clean path in front of the nesting boxes so the ladies can wipe their feet before they lay an egg.

If your chicken run door is close to the nesting eggs you will find there are bringing in more mud. In the spring use, all your mulch materials to create a dryer space and give the chickens spots to scratch. We use leaves, old bedding and more.

For more ideas on how to build and raise chickens follow my Pinterest board here.

Feel like you can’t accomplish this? Try using sand in the chicken coop instead. We love it.

Spot Clean

If you love to leave your eggs on the counter like I do, but they are a little too dirty for your liking, you can take a damp paper towel and spot clean the eggs.

Most of the time your eggs will just have a few spots that are soiled. Just spot clean those lightly so you aren’t completely washing away the protective layer called the “egg bloom.”

I love leaving my eggs on the counter because cooking with room temperature eggs is the best. If you haven’t started cooking with room temperature eggs today is the day to start.

Of course, you can take your eggs and run them under water and really scrub them good. It’s not necessary but at this point, you will need to keep your eggs in the fridge until ready to use.