Clean eggs or not when setting.

[Coop de Grass]

I don't wash the eggs before setting them but I do scrap of any big gobs!

I incubate and hatch in the same unit unless I have different hatches simultaneously, like right now. I moved 5 eggs out of the 40 egg incubator into the mini advance at lockdown. 2 dozen still in the larger unit.

Of the 5 in lockdown, two have hatched and I have put them into a brooder because they were jumping around and moving the other eggs.

One of the 3 remaining eggs has an external pip, and I am waiting for the others.

Brand new at this hatching stuff, this is the second batch!

 

[duluthralphie]

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


.

Sorry I could not think of every possible scenario people might do with eggs, I thought these if interpreted widely enough covered most of them.


As I said the reason I clean mine like I do is for NPIP inspection. I have read on here time and time again, washing eggs hurts hatch rate or kills chicks and so forth. As I was washing eggs I wondered what other did. Washing them is a pain. To me when they said if the machine is sterile why would put dirty or germ covered eggs in it made sense. BUT when I first started washing them and disinfecting them I felt like I was killing every egg from what I had read on here. They told us it would improve hatch rate, but I wonder if they are talking someone with millions of eggs hatching and where a bad germ could kill thousands of eggs.


That article is interesting discussing bacteria on the eggs before and after washing and the time of collection making an initial difference.

I saw nothing in there about hatch rates of washed versus unwashed eggs. I know in my small flock I think it is more individual hens habits that lead to clean or dirty eggs. My flock is divided into small groups during breeding season and even if I cannot tell which chicken lays which egg, I see eggs laid by the same chicken everyday and can tell they come from the same chicken based on size color and the nest used. Some are very clean everyday, others are not clean every day. I think some hens are just slobs.

 

[BantyChooks]

I don't clean my eggs, dirty ones are not usually set.

I incubate and hatch in the same machine, so I hatch in the same room I incubate in. (Tough to do anything else, no? )


I voted, but forgot to put in that I incubate and hatch in the same room, sorry...
-Banti

 

[MeepBeep]

Sorry I could not think of every possible scenario people might do with eggs, I thought these if interpreted widely enough covered most of them.

The problem is that I could answer yes, no, sometimes, maybe, or none of the above to all the questions depending on a particular incubation cycle I was asked about...

I saw nothing in there about hatch rates of washed versus unwashed eggs.

First paragraph after the cover page...

"Although wetting or washing hatching eggs has been thought to lower the percentage hatch, research over the years has shown that proper wet egg sanitization does not adversely affect hatchability [l,
2,3]"

And here are the three citations, backing that up...

"1. Olsen, M.W. and EH. McNally, 1947. Hatchability
of shell-disinfected eggs.Vet. Med. 4294.

2. Lancaster, J.E, RF. Gordon, and J. Tucker, 1952.
The disinfection, prior to incubation of hen eggs mntaminatedwith
Salmonellapulloru~. Br. Vet. J. 108418-431.

3. Brake, J. and B.W. Sheldon, 1990. Effect of a quaternary
ammonium sanitizer for hatching eggs on their
contamination, ermeabili"

 

[duluthralphie]

The problem is that I could answer yes, no, sometimes, maybe, or none of the above to all the questions depending on a particular incubation cycle I was asked about...
First paragraph after the cover page...

"Although wetting or washing hatching eggs has been thought to lower the percentage hatch, research over the years has shown that proper wet egg sanitization does not adversely affect hatchability [l,
2,3]"

And here are the three citations, backing that up...

"1. Olsen, M.W. and EH. McNally, 1947. Hatchability
of shell-disinfected eggs.Vet. Med. 4294.

2. Lancaster, J.E, RF. Gordon, and J. Tucker, 1952.
The disinfection, prior to incubation of hen eggs mntaminatedwith
Salmonellapulloru~. Br. Vet. J. 108418-431.

3. Brake, J. and B.W. Sheldon, 1990. Effect of a quaternary
ammonium sanitizer for hatching eggs on their
contamination, ermeabili"

Thanks,,, Can't believe I missed that.