our first egg - a beauty!

Hi all,
just to say that a little warm gift was waiting for me this morning - Alice the leghorn I think - had laid a beautiful white egg!  It is sitting pride of place in the kitchen!!!    Now, it is as clean as anything, but I have two questions really... well three
1. She laid it on the roosting bars... how can I encourage her to lay in the nest box?  It has Hemcore in it and should be comfy...
2. Does it need washing?  There is only a little mark on it and otherwise it is pristine.
3. How do you store an egg?  Is it narrow bit up or down?  Or does it matter?

Have taken pictures and will make it my mission tonight to upload them - both of the girls and the egg!!
Yey!!!!

Morning.

I've only been keeping chickens a few weeks so can't really answer any of your questions but I still get really excited every time I get an egg. Congrats!

Very many congratulations on your first egg. Will there be a squabble as to who eats it or do you have first dibs?

That first egg is always a joy. Wonderful. I personally store my eggs pointy end down in an egg rack but not in the fridge. As the shelf life of an egg is so very long (3 weeks or more) I don't like to refrgerate but many people do. Also they don't stay in the house more than a day or two before they are either eaten, given away or sold at the gate.