Poultry encyclopedia · NEXTEKCI School · Farm equipment
Egg trays and egg storage
Moulded egg trays protect eggs between the nest and the customer, and a cool, shaded store keeps them fresh. Eggs are sorted at every collection, set point down, dated, kept cool and sold within the week, oldest first.
Key facts
- Collection
- 3 to 4 times a day, more often in severe heat
- Position in the tray
- Point down
- Storage temperature
- Ideally 10 to 15 °C, in the shade, never in the sun
- Labelling
- Laying date on every stack of trays
- Rotation
- First in, first out
- Sale
- Within the week
What they are for
An egg sells first on its shell: clean, whole and strong. This quality is built on the farm and is quickly lost after collection. Moulded egg trays hold each egg in place, free from knocks, from the house to the store and on to the customer. The store keeps eggs cool: an egg that warms up quickly loses its freshness.
Collecting and sorting
Collect eggs 3 to 4 times a day, more often when it is hot, with a last collection before nightfall. At every collection, set aside cracked, broken, dirty or soft-shelled eggs, and record each category on the sheet. Floor eggs are collected separately.
Handle eggs with clean hands, without knocking them against each other.
Packing into trays
Set the eggs point down in clean, dry moulded trays. Write the laying date on every stack of trays. A dirty or wet tray is never reused as it is: it soils the eggs and can carry germs.
The egg store
A clean, airy, cool and shaded room, away from the hens’ house and from strong-smelling products (fuel, disinfectants, fertiliser): odours pass through the shell. Ideally 10 to 15 °C, never in the sun.
Stack trays by date: the oldest leave first, and eggs are sold within the week. A well-ordered store avoids selling an egg that is too old and losing a customer.
Transport and common mistakes
Carry trays in the shade, firmly wedged, never in full sun on a motorbike or pick-up. Frequent mistakes: eggs left too long in the nest; cracked eggs mixed with good ones; stock kept in the sun or next to fuel cans; trays with no date; old eggs sold before fresh ones.
Choose sturdy trays suited to the size of the eggs, and always keep a clean supply ready in advance.