While Salmonella infections are rare from any egg, Ana Hotaling sought expert advice about the safety of farm-fresh eggs compared to supermarket eggs with regard to Salmonella. That advice is summarized in these safety practices for those who raise their own chickens:
- Keep your coop clean
- Collect eggs frequently
- Do not wash your eggs
- Throw away cracked eggs
Source: Hobby Farms, September 19, 2018. Link. Dr. Richard “Mick” Fulton noted, “All commercial egg production is monitored for Salmonella entertitidis. Farms with more than 3,000 hens are required [by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to participate in the program. The eggs produced by commercial egg farms are candled to see what is inside of the egg, washed and sanitized prior to being put in egg cartons. The eggs are never touched by human hands.”
So if there is something bad inside of an egg, that egg doesn’t get sold in stores, Fulton said. The same is not true for farm eggs.