Bloody Shell ok to Incubate?

[apollora]

Hi all!

I just received a shipment of eggs today and was inspecting them before letting them rest. One of the eggs was pretty dirty but another one is smeared with blood. I'm not too concerned about a dirty egg but I have never received an egg with blood on it before and am curious to know if it's safe to incubate? Should I wash it prior to setting it?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[cavemanrich]

I would not wash it, because that removes the bloom. That may affect how the moisture and humidity permeate thru the shell.
I am not an expert on incubating eggs, but never heard of anyone washing their eggs prior to doing it.
That being said, there are peeps that have successfully hatched store purchased eggs from Trader Joe's. They were fertile free range eggs BTW. I would suspect that those may have been washed. Not sure, but it may be a requirement in the USA. (for store sales)
WISHING YOU BEST......

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Hi all!

I just received a shipment of eggs today and was inspecting them before letting them rest. One of the eggs was pretty dirty but another one is smeared with blood. I'm not too concerned about a dirty egg but I have never received an egg with blood on it before and am curious to know if it's safe to incubate? Should I wash it prior to setting it?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

I inspect all incubation candidates. I check for shell integrity, shape/size and filth/caca. Blood has never been a concern as far as incubation is concerned, as much as concern for the health of the pullet who has a vent issue.

 

[apollora]

Thank you both for you reply’s. I didn’t wash the egg and set it with the others, now we wait

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Thank you both for you reply’s. I didn’t wash the egg and set it with the others, now we wait

Not sure who you received the eggs from, but I would definitely drop them a note about selling bloody eggs. It could *possibly* cause issues with the hatch, once the blood goes into the humid, warm incubator. Not sure of any blood borne illnesses in chickens, but it's something I'm definitely going to research now.

As a side note, I believe @CapricornFarm is conducting a science experiment on whether washed eggs cause problems with incubation/hatching.