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Can I use our eggs to make....

11 replies

iWILLdothis · 24/04/2012 10:52

....chocolate mousse? I would never have thought I couldn't until a friend said I'd have to buy shop eggs for my mousse. Her reason was the risk of salmonella. What about omelettes, where, again, the egg isn't thoroughly cooked through?? We're new to this chicken-keeping, so advice please! :)

OP posts:
GinPalace · 24/04/2012 14:55

Its all about the salmonella.

Shop eggs are no better than yours if they don't have the lion stamp.

What the Lion stamp means:

lion eggs

The risk of food poisoning from eggs is a combination of the presence of the salmonella in the first place and the levels of it if it is present. Levels of salmonella are lower the fresher they are and the cooler they are kept.

It is a bizarre quirk of the UK system that refrigerated eggs are classed as 'treated food' and cannot be sold as 'fresh' so all 'fresh' eggs have not been kept chilled even though that would make them safer.

Shop eggs will also have been longer from lay-to-lunch compared to yours, so any microbial life there was in them would have had longer to multiply, tho fewer of the eggs will be contaminated.

You can have your chickens vaccinated against salmonella which would bring them in line with the Lion stamped eggs from the shop.

So in summary Lion stamped shop eggs have very low incidence of salmonella but have more opportunity for any salmonella that was present to increase, while your eggs will be fresher but if not vaccinated will be more likely to be harbouring the bug in the first place.

So it is a bit tricky to say exactly which is safest without knowing how prevalent salmonella was in your hens.

To really trump the shop eggs you would vaccinate your hens and then your eggs would be the best there was for your mousses and ommelettes. Grin

Somethinginthewoodshed · 24/04/2012 14:57

Interesting

Would ex batts be likely to have been vaccinated?

Shallishanti · 24/04/2012 14:58

I wouldn't bother about it unless you were esp vulnerable (eg pregnant)

GinPalace · 24/04/2012 14:59

Yes if they were suppliers of Lion stamped eggs, but otherwise no - it would have been compulsory for Lion egg hens. That said, I am not a vet, but I think the vaccination would need renewing annually at least, so that would need checking up before you relied on that.

iWILLdothis · 25/04/2012 18:33

Thank you all for your answers, especially Gin for such an informative post Smile Not sure I DH would be bothered with vaccinations. Not pg & not planning to be ever again either, so may just take the risk....

OP posts:
tentative123 · 25/04/2012 18:34

We always do, never considered not!

maristella · 25/04/2012 18:55

Do you guys put your eggs into water to test them for salmonella?

Jux · 25/04/2012 19:58

How does that work maristella? (am waiting for dh to agree to chooks - he's been saying yes for years but then never gets to the point where we are 'ready' for them Grin )

maristella · 25/04/2012 21:47

I was hoping to find that out myself Jux Grin
I think that salmonella eggs either sink or float, where non-slamonella eggs do the opposite Confused

We have only had our hen for a week, and we are loving every minute! Even the running around in the rain in the mornings :)
Tell your DH to take the plunge :)

thisisyesterday · 25/04/2012 21:54

the water test just tells you how fresh an egg is, not if it has salmonella

Jux · 25/04/2012 22:17

Oh, I'm disappointed! I know that water test.

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