Can You Get Sick from Eating Eggs from a Sick Chicken?
Eating eggs from a sick hen can be disastrous because you can get sick. Ill hens could be carrying a myriad of diseases that can get into their eggs. Some of the infections in sick hens include Salmonella, which is highly contagious. Therefore, don’t eat eggs from a sick chicken.
Is it Safe to Eat Eggs from a Sick Chicken?
No, it isn’t safe to consume eggs from a sick hen. Sick hens can be carrying deadly diseases, and you can’t tell whether the eggs from the ill hens are safe or not. Ideally, you should only eat eggs from a healthy chicken because a healthy chicken harbors no diseases.
How to Avoid Getting Sick from Backyard Chicken Eggs?
Keeping backyard chickens is a nice idea, especially if you want to keep chickens solely for eggs. While keeping backyard chickens can be fun, backyard chickens carry diseases that can make you sick.
Eggs from backyard chickens can also have harmful bacteria and germs that make people fall ill. You can avoid getting sick from eating backyard chicken eggs. Here is how you can prevent getting sick from consuming backyard chicken eggs.
– Wash Eggs Before Consumption
It is imperative to clean backyard chicken eggs before consuming the eggs. Egg cleaning helps remove harmful pathogens and bacteria on the eggshells, which can make you ill in the long run. Washing backyard chicken eggs will prevent you from falling ill.
Depending on how dirty your backyard chicken eggs are, you can start by dry cleaning the eggs. Use a dry cloth that is less abrasive to rub off droppings and dirt from the eggs. Dry clean the eggs until they are thoroughly clean.
Alternatively, you can wet wash your backyard chicken eggs if they are extremely dirty. Wet washing entails using warm water since warm water will remove the stubborn dirt particles on the eggshells. Avoid using cold water while wet washing the eggs since cold water can make the pores in the eggshells suck in bacteria from the eggs’ surface into the eggs.
Wash your backyard chicken eggs under running water if you notice dirt on the eggshells after wet washing the eggs. Wipe the eggs dry with dry clothing to eliminate moisture on the eggs. Wet eggs can attract bacteria, making you sick after eating the eggs.
– Collect Eggs Regularly
To avoid getting sick from eating rotten backyard chicken eggs, you should collect fresh backyard chicken eggs. Uncollected eggs can carry bacteria if you don’t collect the eggs after a long time. Keep checking whether your backyard hens have been laying in winter because the cold temperatures can freeze the eggs, making them unsuitable for consumption.
Collect your eggs at least twice a day, particularly if there are many egg-laying hens in the flock. Keep checking whether your hens have laid regularly since you can’t tell what time your backyard chickens will lay. Most importantly, check your backyard for eggs in the early hours of the morning since all chickens, including backyard chickens, lay in the early hours of the morning.
Have some outdoor nest boxes in your backyard to make egg collection easier. Alternatively, observe where your backyard hens lay eggs and then check regularly whether there are any eggs in your hens’ favorite laying places.
– Don’t Eat Damaged Eggs
Eating damaged backyard chicken eggs will ultimately make you sick. Check for signs of damaged eggs while collecting the eggs in your backyard. The most apparent sign of damaged eggs are cracks, which can let bacteria into the eggs. Some eggs can have powdery shells, especially if they remain uncollected for long. Such eggs could be carrying bacteria, such as Salmonella, which will make you sick.
Other than checking on cracks on the eggs, you can use different methods to check whether your backyard chicken eggs are damaged. For instance, try testing whether the eggs are damaged using the water testing method.
This method entails placing your backyard chicken eggs in a water container. If the eggs sink, then they aren’t bad, and they can’t make you sick. If the eggs float on the water, it indicates the eggs are bad, and you will get sick if you consume the eggs.
– Store Your Eggs in a Cool Place
Eggs can go bad if you store them in a hot place. To avoid getting sick from eating bad eggs, consider keeping your eggs in a cool place. Keep the eggs in the fridge or freezer during warm weather when temperatures are high. Keep the eggs on your refrigerator’s door, rather than keeping the eggs inside the fridge lest they freeze and become unsuitable for consumption.
You should keep your backyard chicken eggs in airtight containers before storing them in the refrigerator. Ideally, keep the eggs at a temperature not exceeding 40° F. Use a thermometer to check whether the temperature is suitable for the eggs. Don’t forget to store the eggs at a lower temperature in winter because the temperature is extremely low.
– Don’t Eat Too Many Eggs
Eggs are nutritious, whether they come from backyard chickens or indoor chickens. However, eating too many backyard chicken eggs can make you sick. Although eggs are a plentiful source of protein, eating too many eggs can affect your kidneys.
Furthermore, backyard chicken eggs contain cholesterol and fat, putting you at risk of getting heart disease. Eat less than two eggs a day to avoid falling sick from eating backyard chicken eggs.
Don’t eat more than four eggs in a week if you have high cholesterol levels. People with heart disease should avoid eating too many backyard chicken eggs, lest the nutrients in the eggs increase their risk of succumbing to heart disease.
Conclusion
Avoid eating eggs from a sick chicken lest you fall ill. Furthermore, avoid eating bad eggs from backyard chickens or eating too many backyard chicken eggs. Wash the eggs before consumption to eliminate any harmful bacteria on the eggshells. Otherwise, backyard chicken eggs are a nutritious pack for anyone with a nutritional deficiency.
