Broken egg in cluch

[Agi]

I found a broken egg in the cluch and some yolk got on the other eggs. I heard that this will contaminate the batch with salmonella and the other eggs won’t hatch. Is this really the case?

I tried to clean it off as best I could by wiping it but I don’t want to wash the yolk off the other eggs since I think washing is just as bad.

What should I do?

 

[sourland]

I would towel clean the eggs, check to see if the underside of the hen needs cleaning, replace the nest bedding with clean material. Do you know how the egg was broken? I would make sure that other hens can not access the nest. How long has the hen been setting?

 

[-Shade-]

I had a hen try hatching 7 eggs. She crushed one and got egg yokes on the other 6. Of the 6, 5 were fertile. All 5 hatched and are healthy and perfectly fine
Is it possible to post pictures of how dirty the eggs got?

 

[Agi]

Thanks for the replies!
Just checked the eggs again this morning. They don’t look too dirty, I think I got most of it out. I replaced the bedding material. Attaching a picture. I checked the hen and she seems clean as well.

I have 3 broody chickens all taking turns siting on the eggs but sometimes I do find three of them in there together and the next box is not that huge so I think someone just crushed the egg by accident. They just started sitting about 3 days ago.

So I think I’ll just leave the eggs like this and not wash them.

 

[-Shade-]

I wouldn't let them take turns on the eggs. I had a broody hen that let others lay eggs in her nest, and when she came back I watched her crush it. Sadly, there was a developing chick in it. All of your eggs are at risk if your hens are taking turns.

 

[Agi]

I wouldn't let them take turns on the eggs. I had a broody hen that let others lay eggs in her nest, and when she came back I watched her crush it. Sadly, there was a developing chick in it. All of your eggs are at risk if your hens are taking turns.

How do I do this? I keep shoo-ing the other hen away but she ends up coming back anyways. Thankfully she’s much smaller.
Do you move the nest in this case? Or could I split up the eggs half/half into the other nesting boxes? Not sure if they would sit on the eggs in the neighbouring box…

 

[-Shade-]

You could try moving your primary broody into a tote or box with the eggs. but you'll have to be carful because if she doesn't care for this, she might start pacing and could crush the eggs.