To wash or throw away?

[NewGuineaChooks]

I'd like to hear your opinion....

Got a dozen fertile eggs from someone locally, and they are going in the incubator tomorrow. This person has never 'artificially' incubated eggs before, and I told her "unwashed but relatively clean, unrefridgerated, new eggs."

What I got was 6 clean ones and 6 with egg yolk dried on them (shells half covered with yuck). All the EE coloured eggs have egg yolk on them. :-(

What would you do with the dirty eggs? Try to wash and incubate, try to incubate without washing, or just make an omlet out of them? I can't decide which I think is the least risky for hatching success rate. hmm...

-M

 

[hatchcrazzzy]

i bought some that had yolk on them.i washed them but had a bad hatch rate.the yolk cant be good for them tho.

 

[ChrystalGail]

If I were you I would just wipe them down with a damp papertowel. I think it would be bad for them to be submerged in water in any way. I also wouldn't use any soap or chemicals on them. Good luck...

 

[NewGuineaChooks]

What I ended up doing was rinsing them in hot water from the sink, drying with a paper towel, and they will go in with the clean ones tomorrow. I'll candle after a while to cut down on the chance of exploding ones. But maybe, maybe one will hatch..... here's crossing my fingers.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

-M

 

[ChrystalGail]

Good luck!

 

[jimnjay]

Many people sanatize eggs before setting. Most all Hatcheries sanatize. I use 1 Tablespoon of Clorox in a Gallon of very warm water. Let the eggs sit in the solution for 1 minute. I follow the instructions that came with my incubator.

With the ones that had the yolk on them, I think you did right by removing it. Disturbing the natural bloom that protects the eggs from bacteria is never recommended but it is better than trying to hatch soiled eggs. You should be fine, just check them carefully around day 7 or 8 will determine if they are clunckers. Take them out is they are clear or is blood spots develop.

 

[silkiechicken]

Good luck. Now you can see the effects of washing though. If you get no eggs from the washed ones it can be partially due to sitting while dirty or washing combo. I think you should be fine though. I've hatched eggs out I've washed. Granted I avoid it if at all possible. Getting yolk off was a good idea since it is so nutrient rich it calls for bacterial growth.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I know people who never wash their eggs before incubating them.
I tried that once, I will never put another dirty egg in the incubator!!!
It made it stink, was a lot of work to get it cleaned out after the hatch, & it dropped my hatch rate down some.

I always wash dirty eggs now to incubate. My hatch rates are usually from 85 - 95%. My eggs that I have shipped elsewhere have been 65 -85% hatch with washing.

I don't put my eggs into water. I rinse them under warm water (warmer than the temp of egg), use a plastic scour pad (the round colored plastic ones for Teflon pans), to rub over the egg. I wet the egg, rub it, rinse it off, set it in a dish drainer or on a towel. After I am done, I dry them with a clean towel or dish cloth, store them in a carton or flat, small end down until I have enough to go into the incubator.
I do not use any kind of soap.

This is just what I do
Last year we hatched over 3,000 chicks, so it has worked well for me.

Jean