Could Fertilized Eggs from Outside Source Infect Sitting hen?

[Burleigh Chick]

I want to have babies in the spring and I have a rooster that may not be getting the job done 100% of the time. I am looking to get some fertilized eggs for a broody to sit on, but I wonder what the dangers of that might be. If the laying hen was a carrier of say canker, or pox or something like that was in the environment, could my broody be at risk from setting these eggs? I just went through a quarantine heartbreak where the bird had to be returned to the seller, so my mind is full of biosecurity concerns. Can fertile eggs be ``cleaned``? Can illness/infections be spread through eggs??

 

[Pele]

There are a couple of diseases that can be passed along from the laying hen to the embryo. On the plus side, they are not common diseases, but on the negative side, they are usually extremely bad ones like Newcastle's Disease and other viruses (incurable).

The more common source of transmission would be dirt and other items on the shell itself. So absolutely clean your eggs when you get them to prevent anything like that. The transmission of most bacterias would occur this way from egg to new hen, and can be prevented with simple cleaning.

 

[Burleigh Chick]

There are a couple of diseases that can be passed along from the laying hen to the embryo. On the plus side, they are not common diseases, but on the negative side, they are usually extremely bad ones like Newcastle's Disease and other viruses (incurable).

The more common source of transmission would be dirt and other items on the shell itself. So absolutely clean your eggs when you get them to prevent anything like that. The transmission of most bacterias would occur this way from egg to new hen, and can be prevented with simple cleaning.

Thanks Pele, That is what I was thinking. What do I clean them with without compromising their ability to hatch?

 

[Pele]

Thanks Pele, That is what I was thinking. What do I clean them with without compromising their ability to hatch?

Eggs are actually really tolerant to cleaning. As long as you aren't bleaching them, or using something super harsh, they should be fine with most types of soap. I've incubated eggs from grocery store fridges, and those have been scrubbed within an inch of their lives, lol.

Just make sure the water is significantly warmer than the egg when you wash. That will make sure the membrane doesn't contract and draw in the soap into the egg itself.

 

[Burleigh Chick]

Eggs are actually really tolerant to cleaning. As long as you aren't bleaching them, or using something super harsh, they should be fine with most types of soap. I've incubated eggs from grocery store fridges, and those have been scrubbed within an inch of their lives, lol.

Just make sure the water is significantly warmer than the egg when you wash. That will make sure the membrane doesn't contract and draw in the soap into the egg itself.

That is great advice, thank you! Now I just hope I can catch a lady when she is broody!