Did you know that over here in europe/germany eggs, even from big egg laying farms, arent washed at all so when you open up your tray of eggs in the supermarket to find some feathers glued to the eggs or some bird poop isnt uncommon? Afaik the reason behind that is that eggs have a natural layer on them that protects them and on top of that this layer extends the shelf life of the eggs a lot, at least that is what a farmer once told me. So in good ol' europe you dont find washed eggs in your supermarket unless they are already precooked.
I never wash our eggs. It shortens their shelve lives. Also by using the chemicals to wash them they no longer are organic eggs. I just make sure I always have clean materials in the nesting boxes.
here in the netherlands the supermarkets have eggs outside the refrigerator, yet they are usually very clean as well. I don't know how they do it. But I rarely see any dirty eggs
Have you ever held a chicken and had her lay an egg while in your arms? I have one hen that wants to be held ALL the time. Once I was standing and talking to a visiting neighbor when, plop!, she laid her egg and it hit the pavement. Boy, were we surprised. And Sassy never acted like she wanted down.
Been watching your u-tube for about 2 years now and have followed the controversy over hound hunters vs land owner rights, I have a lot of respect for you and your fight, keep fighting the good fight!
Same. We have hound hunters here in Maine too. I’ve told them they can come if they’re dogs cross over and the handler needs to retrieve them, but otherwise, no.
By washing the eggs, you remove the natural coating eggs have (protects the chicks when eggs are incubated). To keep your eggs longer and avoid salmonella, washed eggs must be kept in a fridge until they are consumed. Clean nesting boxes for chickens should prevent your eggs to be dirty. It is another story for ducks…
Here in the UK eggs are not washed and are not kept in the fridge (I keep them in the fridge as I was raised in Canada and it weirds me out not to refrigerate them). The laying birds themselves are vaccinated so that there is no risk of salmonella. I think that’s pretty much true of most of Europe.
@@mountainwench7763 YES. Eggs need to be refrigerated after washing. By washing you remove the "bloom." The protective coating on the egg. This coating keeps the egg safe from exterior bacteria for the possible baby chick inside. However....when you get a weeks worth of rain it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to keep your nesting boxes clean 24/7. You do the best you can and if they get "dirty" that is when you wash them.
Hooold on a minute Morgan. I highly recommend using straw NOT wood shavings for bird bedding. The primary reason being, sawdust. My birds used to wheeze and have lung problems from having a sawdust floor, we ended up having to clear it out. They all got better immediately. Just my personal experience, if your birds seem to do fine on it, then cool! But if they start to sound wheezy, maybe get them away from the shavings.
As an Spanish girl living in Ireland I really appreciate that you are putting the degrees in °C it helps me to understand and learn because I have had no experience at all with °F Thanks!
As an Australian/American girl growing up in Australia with older siblings educated in the USA and then Australia, and with one American parent and one Australian parent...,gahhh I grew up having to translate temperatures for both parents. I always remember thinking that 100F is the same as 40C and used this as my starting point when I thought about it. But I always (and still do) get really super confused about how the heck minus 40F is equal to minus 40C. But I guess that’s not what you’re going to be worrying about if you ever find yourself experiencing those insane temperatures are you!!!
Here in Canada, we're officially °C, but see/hear a lot of °F due to our proximity to the US. It's a weird one to figure out. 212°F is 100°C, 100°F is 40°C, 32°F is 0°C, -40 matches up for both. Beyond that, the conversion is not as simple mathematically as distance or weight, so you kinda just get a feel for it. It'd really be great if every country could just get with the same program.
I'm not a farmer myself but I have cousins who are farmers in Ontario (sheep/lambs) and I remember a great quote from them that they always laugh about..."this is just temporary until I can fix it/replace it next year". Hahaha, things always just get away from them with so much to do. Love you videos and can't wait to see the next little fur ball in the New Year!
You have a great tractor and pallet forks. You should never have to move 5 gallon pails of water ever again. Use a clean, recycled IBC tote and you can put 100+ gallons of water anywhere on the farm easily.
@@thetinmanify For transport only. TheI IBC could be used to fill the Rubbermaid tote, emptied, and then returned to the barn. The problem appears to only occur during freezing weather.
We buy our eggs dirty here in the uk. So in the shops they are just on the shelf, not in fridges. Course, we now have very few 'battery' eggs, we're almost all free range, so we expect a little poop and the odd feather!
Netherlands here, but I think its similar enough since we also don't need to put our eggs in the fridge. However these eggs are still cleaned to some extend. At least more so then farm bought eggs
Same, uk here too! It’s cause the minute you wash em you take off a layer that protects the inside of the egg from bacteria an stuff, washed eggs are more easily infected with salmonella and cant last longer unrefrigerated! Edit- I used to have chickens as a teen and I'd just rub mess off if it's bad. You can eat eggs raw if they're not washed, but I wouldn't risk a washed egg due to salmonella. Afaik I've never had salmonella and I like raw egg on hot noodles and rice :)
The Government in the USA says we have to wash eggs that are for sale, to keep them sanitary. They completely deny the fact that washing them makes them more susceptible to bacterial contamination.
You could use a pipe warmer, and wrap it around the hose going to the tub, and then wrap it around the tub. It would prevent the water from freezing in the hose and the tub full of drinking water. Just gotta make sure you dont get it too hot that they won't drink it. You would also insulate it to protect it from the weather. It will add to your electricity bill, so that's something you'd have to see if it's worth the cost for you. Also, for the goose house, I think heating lamps would help greatly. It would also help keep the snow from building up ontop of the shelter as a bonus.
I think it's either the fact he can't put a water pipe out to the cattle (yet) and/or an electrical line to heat the water to stop it from freezing. Even if the water doesn't freeze, he still has to bucket it out to the cattle.
@@Sarafimm2 He's going to have the cows staying in the barn house for the winter. So he can just leave the water bin there too, that way he doesn't have to move it.
That's a cool idea Jonathan, I think you can get rich if you invented a battery powered heat tape inside a floating pipe that'll keep the frost from forming ice over a little area. Portable, rechargeable and potentially life saving. I love it!
They make both electric and solar powered trough heaters for this very purpose. It's a little heater that sits in a basket and keeps the ice melted. I was kind of surprised that Morgan didn't already know about them. I've never raised cattle, but I used trough heaters to keep a hole in the ice for venting waste gases on Koi ponds. They are incredibly effective, cost almost nothing to run, and I've used them in sub zero temps.
Haha our Barn cats used to knock over the eggs too so I learned a lesson not to leave em out. Loving the cow content Morgan and I really do love the shaggy look of the Highlands as they are on my wish list to match up with my shaggy Old English Sheepdog. I've never seen an egg washer like that before, but it's interesting. I wonder if the eggs are super fragile how it'll do. Duck egg shells are harder as you know so they should be fine. Winter is upon us and our projects have come to a slow down. Cheers bud, Chad.
I absolutely love learning from your journey! There’s an old saying that was passed down from my family, “a betegek megeszik a tiszta tojást”. The sick eat the clean eggs. We typically don’t fully wash the eggs because it disrupts the bloom coating - we were taught that it’s better to wash eggs before cooking because they stay fresh longer and keep the eggs from growing bacteria in your fridge or higher chance for salmonella.
It's not perfect but it seems the machine has helped a lot by at least getting most of the poop out. Given the machine seems to built for chicken eggs, it's not as rough with duck eggs that seems to have more sticky poop in them. Some duck eggs need some extra elbow grease but yea it seems great 'u'/
You need wiggle wire to hold down your plastic and it should be taught because if it’s not the wind will just rip it apart. You also need fans or a fan in there to keep circulation going otherwise the smell is going to be overpowering. Just from experience not trying to tell you what to do. Really like your pod cast
I thought the big hoop house was supposed to have a door at both ends so I expected there to be a door at both ends of the smaller hoop house. Opening both doors during the day or at least the afternoon would allow for the air flow to clear out the ammonia and help dry out the straw and wood chips. I don't know if the birds are stupid enough to try to sit on top of a fan or not, but most fans for such places are built into the wall structure. I think Morgan needs to do a better job with his end walls really.
@@LedgemereHeritageFarm Very cool. I would imagine that those would be pretty expensive, yet very practical when compared to many of the items on today's wedding registries. Not to mention the fact that a gift probably made them money selling dairy products.
@@detroitwhat4017 yes. Dad supported the whole family with 15 cows, including calves . Did everything with a Cub. My sister was milking 75 or so when they sold out a few years ago. Little farms can’t compete anymore
That egg cleaner looks really helpful, even if it only does 90% of the work it's still 90% easier for you. Hopefully that's a very low torque motor for safety reasons, maybe stick a wooden spoon in to check.
I used to live in Lake Merritt (Oakland). My life was isolated (mostly) and I'd run the lake at night after work. The tidal lagoon boasts islands for breeding, acres of roving space and a 3.5 mile trail covered with canadian goose sh1t. It was a paradise-like environment. Each time I went out, I fed the geese before my run. Eventually, they all knew me by sight and would run at me, excited for a helping. I loved the contact. They'd tug at my clothes, nuzzle me and when in sandals, stomp on my feet with flippers (amazing). It was magical. I had bonds with certain flocks. A certain flock of ducks with unique attributes seemed to keep an eye on me. Each time I jogged, the flock followed me while they paddled, from one side of the lake to the next. Eerie! I felt involved and a part of their community. To this day, birds & dogs mean so much to me, as a "quiet type" who doesn't want to stop dissociating. Bring so much peace!!
This was so fascinating! I love seeing products made by people with a passion for animal care, enrichment needs, and the such- you can tell care and thought went into the design.
I just wanted to say this because the last video was sorta sad that you know you have a great thing going when people try to knock you down, dont let the negative reporting by people who havent invested in providing a better world for future generations. You have made an unfathomable difference that will last beyond your lifetime. I appreciate your farm and your videos and there are many more who do. Keep up the good work with the poopy eggs:) Love all your farm animals
Your egg scrubber comes with a stain remover sponge which you could use on the duck eggs. Looks like a good investment for you. Do they sell the egg cleaner separately as I don't think that bottle will last you very long come spring. That may become pricey if you don't come up with your own cleaner recipe. Thanks for the always entertaining videos. I like that you have winter weather like me here in Canada.
Usain Poult Also, Anhydrous ammonia gas is lighter than air and will rise, so that generally it dissipates and does not settle in low-lying areas. However, in the presence of moisture (such as high relative humidity), the liquefied anhydrous ammonia gas forms vapors that are heavier than air. Make sure to have some lower level holes too. Love your channel.
Chickens don't fly, they fall upwards 🤣at least that's what it looks like when my chickens "fly" I don't wash my eggs, even if they are covered in poop. You take off that protective layer that the shell has on it to preserve it. Washed eggs need to be refrigerated.
@@toxict3mpz757 she's not wrong. Washed eggs don't have their naturañ protective coating, thats why what you buy in the market needs refrigeración. I always wash my eggs before cracking them even if they look clean.
Instead of buying wood shavings, try to find an arborist in your area. When they remove trees, they chip them up and usually give them away for free. They would have to pay to dump them into a landfill, so it is a win-win situation for you and the arborist.
Morgan, regarding your water situation for the cattle, maybe consider investing in some solar powered trough heaters if you don't have a power supply available in the field. You can pick them up for under $100. This way you don't have to worry about the water troughs freezing over every night.
Hey that was a double yoker that you broke Morgan! As a farmers wife I do sell free range eggs and yes its a pain to wash them this device performs well- keeping the nesting boxes really clean is the best bet, eggs still have to be rinsed but that's easy!
thanks for giving the temperature in celsius ~ the change to metric system happened after i had left school so as an old school imperial person i appreciated the conversions ~ good to know both
The goose house really came together quickly and I like the runway set up for herding into bed time - because while I might enjoy watching ring-a-ring-a-rosy around the house to get the last bird tucked into their safe home, I'm sure you the farmer have better things to do in the dark, slippery ice of winter 😊
Hello Morgan, Thanks for another quaint video that left me with a smile on my face, but I was wondering, how much does the egg cleaning solution cost to replace? Take care!
Have you ever looked into the marketability of selling blown eggs? I cover blown out goose, emu and ostrich eggs with polymer clay and it isn't unusual for me to pay $3+ for a blown goose egg. I know that the Ukrainian pysanky folks (who also use blown goose eggs) are very particular about what chemicals go on the shell as it affects the strength and dye acceptance of the shell. Labor intensive but possibly a decent money stream.
I work with those too! Heck I’d be happy to buy them dirty and unblown if I could save some money and it wouldn’t matter if they were good or bad if he sold the then!
@@kevinwhite4785 my wife thought maybe, but not sure. I got rid of all my ducks because people hate duck eggs, won’t buy ducklings or hatching eggs. I can’t keep animals that don’t pull their weight
Glad to support a farmer. I love your videos. My kids love your videos. And I still think books about your farm animals and even your house cat would be wonderful for kids.
Oh God, I really appreciated CELSIUS! 🙌 [Edit] you do not wash eggs in warm/cold water - it should be lukewarm... at least that's what I've been reading everywhere 😜
We don't habitually wash eggs in the UK. It leaves a natural protective layer on the shell that helps prevent infections getting in, and so we don't need to refridgerate them either in the store or the kitchen
For my extra poopy duck eggs I just soak them in plain water and then use a 'Magic Eraser' to get the last of the stains off. If you are trying to keep the black of the Cayuga eggs on the shell I wouldn't recommend using the eraser on them.
Love your channel, I lived in Maryland and moved to CT several years ago, now I'm in FL, but miss the tall trees and rocks (lotsa tall trees and rocks). Yes, love your comments, meanderings, revelations, and discoveries (and the birds, Toby, cattle and the barn cats). Please consider a solar powered portable water heater for the cattle trough. It will help keep the cattle hydrated,
As a child, I sometimes helped Pop-pop clean his eggs. We never made them wet but carefully sanded the dirt off. It was a long time ago. We have grandchildren almost your age. I see many websites still recommend dry cleaning eggs.
For your goose house, it might be worth looking into quarry sand instead of straw. It stays drier, prevents mold and cuts way down on air particulate. I use it for chickens. ALSO, cheaper in the long term since you can rake the dropping out and stretch the lifespan of your bedding. Just wanted to give you some helpful advice if you'd like it
I greatly appreciate your videos and can tell you put time into them! I'm aspiring home steader!😁egg scrubber totally reminds me of golf ball cleaner when I worked at driving range 😅
I have about 150 and have seriously thought about the little egg washer that you just bought but see the same problem that you had. I think they would work effectively with chicken eggs because my chicken eggs do not have near the filth on that a duck egg does. I have been using the bubble washer for quite some time and do a two bucket system in which I bubble it and when that water is really gross I put it into a clean bucket of water with a tablespoon of bleach. The bubbling unit I use is one of those super cheap little spa bubblers that you would put in a bathtub to make your bathtub agitate bubbles. Many people got those for gifts and never use them so you readily find them in secondhand stores fairly cheaply and they have a timer on them for 15 minutes which works very well so I can set the timer and go out and clean the barn or do something else while I'm waiting. A downfall of your system with the scrubber is that you have to set the darn thing up everyday.
I'm another viewer living in a country (Turkey) where unwashed eggs are the norm...but as another commenter mentioned, the USDA requires eggs to be washed before they are sold. While the contraption maybe fun to use, you might want to consider the water usage (and energy used to heat the water) when determining whether this is a good solution. How about a soak, scrub and rinse instead...until you are operating a huge side business of selling hundreds of eggs, this might be kinder to the environment.
You still have plenty of pasture but if it’s frozen the cows likely wont eat as much. Also, it will lose some nutrient content. Do you provide any daily vitamin and mineral supplementation? Important for your preggos.
This was helpful! I hate washing the natural bloom off my eggs but i do want to sell them, so... There ya go! I'm appreciation of your investigative work i forced myself to watch all the ads 😂
"When your hens lay eggs, there is a natural coating that is laid on top called the “bloom” that helps keep out bacteria. When you wash eggs, you can drive some bacteria in through the pores of the shell, so it’s a bad idea to do so unless needed just before cooking as a general practice. Without that protective layer, it’s recommended that you refrigerate washed eggs at a temperature around 45 degrees to prevent any bacteria growth."
Question: you mentioned that the eggs already looks quite well with the pre-soak. So maybe try that without the machine and compare the time and quality of the wash to the machine assisted? I can't tell for certain but I have a feeling that you scrubbing the eggs after a pre-soak might be more cost efficient (machine cost + water energy).
Washed eggs are not sold to regular consumers in my country (though I think food industry can buy them). All commercial layer flocks are regularly tested as Salmonella-free to be able to continue their operation. I did work experience at a small laying hen farm (3 000 chickens). Little dirt bits on eggs were flicked off with a fingernail/knife or wiped off with a slightly damp cloth. Dirtier eggs were soaked in warm water with hand-washing detergent and scrubbed with a soft sponge. They were not rinsed with pure water after wash, since the detergent makes a protective layer on the eggs to replace the washed-off cuticula. This new layer made them keep pretty well in room temp, but they were still sold at a lower price to accuintances and/or eaten by the farmer's family. Cracked eggs and overflow of washed eggs were mixed whole with a food processor and fed to the chickens. Super dirty eggs were dumped in the manure pile or straight onto the field.
Hooold on a minute Morgan. I highly recommend using straw NOT wood shavings for bird bedding. The primary reason being, sawdust. Sawdust can contain oils that birds are sensitive to. My birds used to wheeze and have lung problems from having a sawdust floor, we ended up having to clear it out. They all got better immediately. Just my personal experience, if your birds seem to do fine on it, then cool! But if they start to sound wheezy, maybe get them away from the shavings.
This is actually super useful for me, because my chickens make a mess of their eggs. I have to wash them and put them in the fridge more often than not. I try to keep their coup clean, but you know how impossible that is.
Darkwing Duck! I had seen another channel with a black runner duck named that and everytime he ran across the scene in the background while the was talking he would edit in theme music. It was fucking hilarious!
Ah, I remember the "shitty" eggs with feathers on them, we had chickens and ducks. We had a river right next to the their enclosure, so the ducks get to swim there, in rows. Always a pleasure watching them at spring, with the little yellow ones. Still though, shitty eggs all the time
Unless ducks have an absolutely SPOTLESS nest box (that they actually USE) their eggs will get stained because they’ll roll them around in the mud and poop (on purpose, I SWEAR). I’ve even found some in their pond. Plus ducks put a thicker “bloom” on their eggs so even “white” eggs might not look white. I agree, ducks always seem to lay their eggs at night, chickens usually 10AM-3PM. I have neck issues so standing at the counter with my neck at that angle for 15 minutes to wipe clean several dozen eggs (I have 100 birds) causes nerve pinching, so some variation of this gizmo would sure be handy. THANKS FOR POSTING! Keep up the reviews!
