What has changed with the eggs?

[Monique1]

All my life I ate my eggs with the yolk runny so I could dip my toast or taters in the yolk, never got sick. Now I am told no, no! What garbage are they feeding the chicks, something is totally wrong. Something does not add up. Now I have to eat a dried up yolk? Is the egg industry all of a sudden trying to make money to increase the cost of eggs? Or do they want me to buy these egg beaters or what?

[I Have A Dream]

1. Big Agriculture is a large part of the problem.

When you were young, local farms were probably more common.

[boppers]

2. Incredibly dense farming conditions is the change.

One sick chicken = Thousands of contaminated eggs.

[The Wielding Truth]

3. Another example of a profit over safety monopoly.

[stray cat]

4. Bacteria doesn't listen to you and doesn't care how you like your eggs

[DCBob]

5. Eggs go bad if they arent handled correctly..

ie. not refrigerated soon enough after being laid.

[jwirr]

6. Hmmm, that may be true but I remember back in the 40-50s when

farmers put eggs in a card board box in the back porch with no cooling until they got it full (200-250 eggs)enough to sell and they did not cause people to get sick.

[DCBob]

12. They will last for a time without refrigeration but eventually they go bad..

they last much longer refrigerated.

[jwirr]

17. That is true.

[Tesha]

14. That's not the problem here.

Chickens can become infected with Salmonella and
their ovaries will inoculate every egg with the
bacteria prior to the shell even being deposited
on the egg.

NPR had a fellow from Denmark on today; Denmark is
a place you can eat runny eggs because the government
has very aggressively pursued ensuring that all flocks
in the country are Salmonella-free. If any hen in a
flock is found to be infected, the whole flock is
culled (and the farmer compensated for their loss).

But here in America, we can't do that because
"government is bad" and the farmers object.

So instead you and I get to sick from bad eggs.

Tesha

[DCBob]

15. I see. I didnt realize that.. thanks for the clarification.

not surprising that can happen considering the environment the chickens are in.

[Matariki]

7. I still eat my eggs like that.

mostly, people have become hysterical germophobes, what with their hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial soap, etc, etc. Folks are turning their immune systems into weak cowering cry babies.

[northernlights]

8. probably antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Rather than house the hens in decent, clean, low stress conditions, factory farms pack them into tiny cages where they are unable to get exercise, fresh air and live normal lives. Then in order to keep them "healthy" they feed them low levels of antibiotics to supress infections. Bacteria develop resistance to the antibiotics (evolution in realtime), flourish and get into the eggs via the now sick hens.

Birds can be sick for a while before they show overt symptoms. They instinctively hide their symptoms as long as possible because in the wild, any sign of weakness is an invitation to attack.

By the time a bird is visibly sick, lethargic, feathers fully puffed out, it's often too late to help them.

And I doubt factory farm birds are watched all that closely anyway...:(

[GoCubsGo]

9. Factory farms

Of course disease spreads all over when the chickens are packed a dozen to a small cage, unable to move or spread their wings, and shitting all over each other. Buy cage-free eggs. They may cost more, but they taste better, and the chickens are under far less stress than the ones that produce the cheap eggs.

[GreenTea]

10. This corporate egg producing asshole is no different than the corporate asshole who killed 29 miners

in West Virginia republican asshole Massey Energy Co. Chairman and CEO Don Blankenship - or the republican coddled oil corporations polluting, killing & destroying our land, air & water while fighting lying, smearing & distorting every Green or renewable energy idea, bill or legislation in the process....Or the slimy republican banking corporations who were bailed out by the Bush signing on Oct. 3rd 2008 or the health insurance corporations or the union busting republicans, protecting corporations like Wal-Mart, McDonalds, meat packers, hotel/motel workers, etc. etc. etc....


Now this egg producing corporate republican asshole is one Jack A DeCoster?

Maine Contract Farming/DeCoster Egg Farm has a three decade-long complaint history from workers, neighbors, environmental officials, labor officials and humane workers.

In 1977 neighbors whose homes were infested with insects filed a $5 million lawsuit, claiming nose plugs and flyswatters should be the "new neighbor" kit.

In 1980, the DeCoster operation was charged with employing five 11-year-olds and a 9-year-old by the Labor department.

In 1988, 100,000 chickens burned to death in a fire and were left to decompose.

In 1992, DeCoster was charged by the state with indenturing migrant workers and denying them contact with teachers, social workers, doctors, lawyers and labor organizers.

In 1996, federal investigators found DeCoster workers living in rat and cockroach infested housing and OSHA found their drinking water contaminated with feces. Yum.

("The conditions in this migrant farm site are as dangerous and oppressive as any sweatshop we have seen,'' said then Labor Secretary Robert Reich; "I thought I was going to faint and I was only there a few minutes,'' said Cesar Britos, an attorney representing DeCoster workers, after entering a barn.)

And manure spills? They have occurred so regularly with DeCoster trucks, a 1994 article in the Portland Press Herald -- "Chicken Manure Leaves Foul Mess; A Truck Accidentally Dumps The Raw Waste" -- and 2007 article -- "Manure-Truck Accident Leaves Recipient Seething -- read almost identically.

Still Jack DeCoster, using Boston spinmeister George Regan for public relations, eluded criminal convictions and farm closures and even expanded his empire from egg farms in Maine to pig farms in Iowa in the 1990s.

But his Teflon days could be changing. Beside the cruelty breakthrough, last week's settlement might be the first time states have tapped abusers for the future costs of monitoring them.

The $100,000 will fund increased inspections, "in a time of limited budgets our staff size has been limited," said Christine Fraser, a Department of Agriculture veterinarian who was instrumental in the settlement, to the Sun Journal. "If we are out there more often, we'll be able to stop things before they get this bad."

Nathan Runkle, executive director of Chicago-based Mercy For Animals agrees. "Over the next five years, if Maine Contract Farming fails the unannounced inspections it has agreed to, criminal charges will likely be filed."

And Maine Contract Farming? Jack DeCoster's son, Jay, who is operations manager said, "We are pleased to put this matter behind us so we can focus on the successful operation of our farm."

[Warpy]

11. Factory farming crams laying hens together in small cages

and standing in their own waste. Any infection (endemic in poultry, anyway) that gets in will spread to the whole flock like wildfire.

Egg yolks need to be heated to 140 degrees, minimum. A fast read digital thermometer will tell you if they're hot enough. If not, zap them for 10 seconds or so in the microwave to bring the temperature up.

Runny yolks are an iffy territory. Scrambled is better, eggs in baked goods are perfectly safe.

That Caesar salad, homemade mayo, and raw egg cracked over hash should be off the menu unless you're getting eggs from a non factory grower.

[housewolf]

13. Do some research on the egg-producing industry and see how chickens are now raised & treated

and you'll find your answer. Factory farming and the lack of either regulation or enforcement has brought all sorts of problems.

[Monique1]

16. Once again corporations make me

:puke: