cleaning eggs before incubating?

[pardenx3]

After all the rain we have had here in Alabama, the eggs are really dirty when we get them out of the nesting boxes. The ones I put in the fridge to eat I clean them at the kitchen sink, under plain water. But my question is, for the ones we want to incubate is it OK to clean them with warm water before putting into the incubator?

 

[Ms.FuzzyButts]

Neighbor!!
I am no expert but, I have washed my really dirty ones gently with luke warm water and not had any adverse effects.

 

[pardenx3]

Thanks neighbor! I went ahead and washed them in plain water, and the water was as warm or warmer than the egg.

 

[duck&chickencrazy]

you really shouldnt wash them...at least from what i have been told...you shouldnt wash them because the eggs have a coating on the outside of the egg that helps keep the bacteria out, and if you wash the egg its more likely to die off due to bacteria....hmm might be wrong but i asked a similar question like yours and got the answer im given you....i dont think it hurts to much tho...

 

[Lensters]

Most people talk about this "bloom" on the eggs and that washing that off is bad. However, that is contrary to my experience. Up until this last hatch I was running over 95% on washed eggs and the 220 eggs that I hadn't washed I was only getting around a 85% hatch rate. This last hatch was 48 out of 82 eggs but only three or four of the didn't make it showed signs of bacterial infiltration. It appeared that I kept the humidity to high because the air cells of the unhatched eggs were too small.

I think that the biggest issue is how clean you keep your incubator.

Oh, also... the big commercial hatcheries wash their eggs and they are pretty picky about their hatch percentages.

 

[suburbanminifarm]

Lensters, I totally agree with you. I have NEVER had a poopy egg hatch. This incubation, I washed the dirty eggs very very carefully. So far, every last one is developing nicely. Oh, and I always dilute bleach the incubator between hatches, that's so important.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I wash all mine in real hot water....... Been working fine.

 

[foxrunbantams]

Best to wash in luke warm water if you have to wash them.

 

[Lensters]

Actually, I like as hot of water as my water heater will make. I let them soak in it for a minute and then they are pre-warmed for when they go into the incubator. I think that is unique to me though, I've only heard of one other person doing it that way.

 

[foxrunbantams]

Most egg hatching comes from the genes and the rooster.always keep a good young healthy rooster.first year of live is when the rooster is the most fertile and active.bring in new bloodline each year and good healthy hens.feed is important also and number one always have plenty of fresh water.you can have the cleanest eggs but no healthy chicks/no hatch