cleaning an incubator mid incubation

[silkienrescues]

hi, I'm worried I'm loosing chicks because of bacteria in the incubator. Seemsd to be the white eggs getting hit, its day 16 problem started at day 13, now loosing 1 a day. they move well and then suddenly go quiet then they stop and the blood vessels recede, first 2 had been trouble eggs loosing far too much weight, 1 was at 13% on day 12.5. This is the 3rd hatch in a row, I did clean between all hatches.
So I'd like to place the eggs on a heat pad and use hand sanitiser to clean the incubator, the room is warm so it warms up quickly and I'm running dry at the moment to help a few brown eggs who are not loosing enough weight. Maybe I'm being to extreme but the thought of a bacteria ridden incubator makes me just have to clean it....OCD from a nursing background.
i also have 'glen 20' and antibacterial spray for bathrooms and kitchens but the chemicals in that worry me, hand sanitiser is alcohol and some antibacteial stuff so less concerned by it and it has no smell that lingers.
Anyone done this?

 

[MeepBeep]

Chances are if there is bacteria it's in the eggs or on the eggs, already if they were in the incubator this long...

I advice against cleaning during an incubation period unless absolutely necessary...

If you insist on cleaning out the incubator though remove all the eggs and put them all together in one bunch and wrap them in a beach towel, they will be fine as long as you don't take all day cleaning... Temporary cool down periods are normal, it happens every day when broody hens go out to feed and get water... The towel will drastically slow down how fast they cool off giving you ample time to clean the incubator...

Take a spray bottle, add one tsp (teaspoon) of bleach and fill the rest up with water, this will get you in the area of the recommended concentration for cleaning food prep areas...

Spray down the incubator, lets sit for at least one minute wipe dry with clean paper towels, repeat if you want... Next take a wet towel with just water and wipe down (you wouldn't normally do this but since we are short on time it helps remove any residue vs waiting for it to evaporate) let the incubator air out for about 10-15 minutes... If you have a fan let it blow across the incubator... Close the incubator back up and bring it back to temp, once it's back to temp and stabilized put the eggs back in...

This isn't perfect sanitation procedure but it's quick and dirty, and a good candidate for eggplosions...

 

[silkienrescues]

Chances are if there is bacteria it's in the eggs or on the eggs, already if they were in the incubator this long...

I advice against cleaning during an incubation period unless absolutely necessary...

If you insist on cleaning out the incubator though remove all the eggs and put them all together in one bunch and wrap them in a beach towel, they will be fine as long as you don't take all day cleaning... Temporary cool down periods are normal, it happens every day when broody hens go out to feed and get water... The towel will drastically slow down how fast they cool off giving you ample time to clean the incubator...

Take a spray bottle, add one tsp (teaspoon) of bleach and fill the rest up with water, this will get you in the area of the recommended concentration for cleaning food prep areas...

Spray down the incubator, lets sit for at least one minute wipe dry with clean paper towels, repeat if you want... Next take a wet towel with just water and wipe down (you wouldn't normally do this but since we are short on time it helps remove any residue vs waiting for it to evaporate) let the incubator air out for about 10-15 minutes... If you have a fan let it blow across the incubator... Close the incubator back up and bring it back to temp, once it's back to temp and stabilized put the eggs back in...

This isn't perfect sanitation procedure but it's quick and dirty, and a good candidate for eggplosions...

thanks Meep beep, there isnt any visible dirt, the eggs aren't dirty looking and no smell what so ever. So its all at microscopic level, and yes I agree its probably in already, its just the fast decline is making me think when it does get in its an aggressive infection, eggtopsie showed no delayed growth so it wasn't a lingering thing.

will get on with it quickly, think i can get it all done and up to temp within an hour, luckily it is fan forced.