Clean eggs or not when setting.

[duluthralphie]

I am just curious what people do when incubating.


Do you wash, clean and or disinfect before placing in the incubator?


Do you hatch in the same incubator or use a hatcher?

Do you incubate and hatch in same area?




I have recently applied and attended the classes here in Mn to become a NPIP hatchery. I found what they taught and what I did were about 180 degrees off from each other, so I became curious of what others do, and why?


Please expand and give us your reasons in a post. There is no wrong answer..

Thanks..

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you wash, clean and or disinfect before placing in the incubator?

No. The last thing a hen does to an egg when she lays it is to put a layer on it (called bloom) that helps prevent bacteria from entering the egg. It is not perfect but it is extremely effective. If you sand paper the egg or wash it, you remove that protection. Bacteria still needs to be present to enter the egg even with less protection, so keeping the incubator sterile and keeping your hands clean when handling the eggs is still important even with the bloom still in place. I just avoid setting dirty eggs to start with.

Do you hatch in the same incubator or use a hatcher?

I do not use a hatcher, just hatch in the same incubator I incubate in. But I normally only hatch two or three times a year and give it a good cleaning, including wiping it down with a bleach solution, after each hatch.

Do you incubate and hatch in same area?

Yes, in the same room.

I suspect what you heard at that class was meant a lot more for commercial hatcheries, not a backyard flock. They use techniques to clean that we don’t. They take biosecurity extremely seriously. I’ve learned a lot from the commercial industry but some of that stuff really doesn’t apply to us. Sometimes they have issues we don’t. As you said there is no right or wrong to this, just differences.

 

[duluthralphie]

Do you wash, clean and or disinfect before placing in the incubator?

No. The last thing a hen does to an egg when she lays it is to put a layer on it (called bloom) that helps prevent bacteria from entering the egg. It is not perfect but it is extremely effective. If you sand paper the egg or wash it, you remove that protection. Bacteria still needs to be present to enter the egg even with less protection, so keeping the incubator sterile and keeping your hands clean when handling the eggs is still important even with the bloom still in place. I just avoid setting dirty eggs to start with.

Do you hatch in the same incubator or use a hatcher?

I do not use a hatcher, just hatch in the same incubator I incubate in. But I normally only hatch two or three times a year and give it a good cleaning, including wiping it down with a bleach solution, after each hatch.

Do you incubate and hatch in same area?

Yes, in the same room.

I suspect what you heard at that class was meant a lot more for commercial hatcheries, not a backyard flock. They use techniques to clean that we don’t. They take biosecurity extremely seriously. I’ve learned a lot from the commercial industry but some of that stuff really doesn’t apply to us. Sometimes they have issues we don’t. As you said there is no right or wrong to this, just differences.

While some was geared towards commercial hatcheries, a lot was not.

Thanks for your answers. If you get a second answer the poll, just to help give the picture.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't clean my eggs so I don't have a choice for that.

 

[duluthralphie]

Duh,, dumb me... I guess I was thinking just knocking the crude off or scraping was not cleaning them...sorry..

Even when I did not clean them I would knock or scrape the poop off and I never consider that cleaning them..

 

[duluthralphie]

I see a third person voted, This is good.. now the rest of you vote and or comment... I see by the views some of you lurked....

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Do you wash, clean and or disinfect before placing in the incubator?

No. The last thing a hen does to an egg when she lays it is to put a layer on it (called bloom) that helps prevent bacteria from entering the egg. It is not perfect but it is extremely effective. If you sand paper the egg or wash it, you remove that protection. Bacteria still needs to be present to enter the egg even with less protection, so keeping the incubator sterile and keeping your hands clean when handling the eggs is still important even with the bloom still in place. I just avoid setting dirty eggs to start with.

Do you hatch in the same incubator or use a hatcher?

I do not use a hatcher, just hatch in the same incubator I incubate in. But I normally only hatch two or three times a year and give it a good cleaning, including wiping it down with a bleach solution, after each hatch.

Do you incubate and hatch in same area?

Yes, in the same room.

I suspect what you heard at that class was meant a lot more for commercial hatcheries, not a backyard flock. They use techniques to clean that we don’t. They take biosecurity extremely seriously. I’ve learned a lot from the commercial industry but some of that stuff really doesn’t apply to us. Sometimes they have issues we don’t. As you said there is no right or wrong to this, just differences.

xs 2

 

[duluthralphie]

I have switched.

I use to just kind of brush the big stuff off and put them in. Thinking the bloom would protect them.

I no longer do that. However, if I have a broody hen sit on them I do not monkey with them.


After the school they convinced me to wash and disinfect them. I am still waiting to see if it will affect the hatch rate as of right now it does not appear too.

Their theory which I now buy is why put something that is not sterile in the incubator. Even if the bloom does protect the egg, how much can it protect it. I sterilize the incubator, I wash the eggs in 115 degree water, run the water over them from the faucet. I have an on demand tankless water heater. I can adjust the temps by a remote control. So I know exactly what the water temp is.


After the first rinse, I do not scrape anything as I do not want to put a scratch in the egg shell, I dip the eggs in a solution of one ounce of chlorine to 1 gallon of water. I then lightly clean the egg with a soft cloth. I then rinse again in a second solution of the same strength. I rinse and set them in sterilized racks to dry.

When I touch the eggs I wear latex gloves, A new pair each time I touch something non-sterile. I never touch the eggs with my bare hands until the chick hatches and I take it out of the hatcher.

I incubate in a separate room from the hatchers. I use 3 foam incubators I am using for hatching right now. I sterilize them between uses.

I do have chicks in the same area as the hatchers, that will end this year. I plan to build 2 cabinet hatchers for next year. Each will be in its own room, I will try to keep as clean as possible, sterile is hard to do with the room. With 2 hatchers I should be able to sterilize between batches.The incubators will be going into one larger easier to keep sterile area. I have 2 sportsmans I use for incubating right now. I may try to build my own next year. I will see how the time goes.

I like the sterile incubators, they smell better. ( I know dumb reason but lack of smell should be lack of germs).

This is what the state wants so I will do it. My only concern is chicks that have no immunity, but I assume they can get that later.


I have only been doing this for 6 weeks, so far I am happy with the results. Time will tell.

 

[MeepBeep]

Most studies have shown little to no difference between cleaning and not cleaning hatching eggs in regards to hatch rate...

http://pubag.nal.usda.gov/pubag/downloadPDF.xhtml?id=38858&content=PDF

As for voting in the poll, I don't follow a strict procedure so the answers are not applicable as written nor are all possibilities coverd...

My vote goes to...

I sometimes do all the above, some of the above as well as doing procedures not offered as a choice


.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Late in this long talk Dr. Bramwell displays a chart that shows the difference in washing and not washing dirty eggs. It’s been a while since I set through this so I’m going on memory, but this was not about washing or not washing relatively clean eggs, it was about washing, sandpapering, or just setting dirty eggs. By dirty he did not mean eggs with a light discoloration or stain on them but eggs with a clump of dirt or poop on them. There is a real benefit in washing those dirty eggs. Still, washed or sandpapered dirty eggs had a worse hatch rate than eggs that were clean to start with. That’s why I don’t set dirty eggs.

I absolutely agree you should not wash or clean eggs that are going under a broody hen. A broody hen is not a sterile environment. Those eggs need all the protection they can get.

I believe in starting the chicks working on immunity as soon as possible but I don’t think whether the eggs are sterile or not will have any effect on that. Whether I hatch them myself or get them through the post office I feed them dirt from the run on day 2 plus the brooder is in the coop. They get exposed very quickly.

This video is amateur, poor quality. But MeepBeep it’s something I think you might enjoy.