Dirty eggs- How do you feel, and why?

[lemurchaser]

If I'm paying a lot for hatching eggs then I would expect them in the best condition. It's very muddy here and I don't have muddy eggs, so I guess I would expect the same. My theory is a few bales of straw are pretty cheap and would keep the chickens clean. One dollop of poop, I'm not worried about, covered in dirt and/or poo, and I wouldn't be happy. I agree that a broody would probably hatch them okay, but when we're shipping eggs, and hatching them in less than ideal conditions (no matter how hard we try), that you want to start out with the best. If nothing else I'd expect to be warned prior to purchase that you have muddy conditions and eggs may not be spotless.

 

[pardenx3]

We are new to hatching, but here is what I do. If I am going to hatch them, I just brush them off with my hand unless there has been a lot of rain and they are really bad. Then they are rinsed with really warm water. The ones ones we plan on eating I always wash them completely clean before putting them in the fridge.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

I have gotten dirty eggs and not complained but I've gotten filthy eggs and then I've complained. I got such filthy eggs from a BYC'r once that I knew I wasn't going to get a good hatch. They were poo covered, blood covered (!), and mud covered. I tried to clean them up the best way I could and of course, not a single egg hatched.

I complained, before I set them, did me no good. (Which is why I liked the old feedback system better)

I don't mind getting dirty eggs, heck, I have dirty eggs from my girls now in my incubator. LOL

Laurie

 

[Buster's Banties]

Ok, alternate pespective -

Does anybody worry about the potential transfer of pathogens from one flock to the next by simply having someone else's poop around?
Especially when we're sending eggs from one side of the continent to the other.... Something benign in one part of the country might wreak havoc in another. It's one thing to receive the eggs but to get the barn & chicken "dirt" as well sort of pushes the limits of biosecurity.

 

[IggiMom]

I was unhappy when once I got a bunch of dirty eggs to hatch, and I did not buy from this person again.

If you buy hatching eggs you are looking for something special. Sometimes they are expensive. (Well, usually they are expensive.)

The person who gets them deserves to get clean eggs.

That doesn't mean I think they should be spotless. No, I don't think they should be washed, either, but if there is a little dirt or poo on them it can be scraped off with a fingernail. I have never tried sandpaper, but wouldn't that take the bloom off also?

If there is more than a little poo, then they are probably not appropriate to be sold.

My chickens free range, and especially if it is muddy the eggs will get dirty, so either I would not sell those eggs for hatching eggs, or I would change the hay in the coop and the nest boxes so that the eggs wouldn't get so bad.

Catherine

 

[ChooksChick]

Let's look at my current situation specifically:

The mud in one part of the yard is very sticky, and the girls love it- with mud up to their spurs. They dig and dig, as the rest of the yard is still snowy and this appears to be great fun.

They have dry hay/straw covered paths to get to the coop, and the coop is deep with dry hay, but since even the tops of their feet are filthy, they get mud on the eggs in pretty distinct toe-prints. Not poop.

Shall I offer a disclaimer about this, or ought I wash them off? It's not mud that would chip off or remove easily- we have lots of clay in our soil.

I can't imagine I should discard them as sellable eggs. If you saw a brief disclaimer regarding this, would it turn you off? Would you be irritated if there was no disclaimer?

 

[bigstack]

I personally would like to know if the eggs will be dirty. It is fine. Not a problem to me. I just would like to know ahead of time. They are animals living in a pen and not locked in a wire cage. ( I hope) Normal dirty, foot prints, lil poo flakes...etc is expected or should be. But as I said in my post the ones I got, you could barely see the shell on a couple of them. No joke. It was poo not dirt. I was affraid of the lil guys suffocating. and just to clear up the light sanding. On my part I just did the poo. Not on the egg! then lightly brushed it with a dry green scrubby in spots. Yes, you can sand off the bloom if not careful. I think a small disclamer would be appreciated. You know, " Hey its rainy, the chickens are animals in a pen. Not locked in a wire cage. The eggs may have a small amount of dirt or foot prints on them. Nothing excessive! Just wanted to let you know."

Thanks and God Bless!

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Exactly the reason I won't send dirty eggs out nor will I put them in my incubator.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
There have been many times I have postponed listing hatching eggs because of the mud and I knew there was no way I was going to get enough clean eggs to send out.

I have washed a few eggs to set myself and really haven't noticed any difference in the hatch rate. I feel like shipped eggs have enough strikes against them tho without being washed added to the list.

 

[ChooksChick]

Thanks so much, all of you who contributed!

I honestly didn't even think about the bad flora/fauna that might be coming in on eggs- and while I've been careful with what I've hatched, I can imagine folks would like me to be as considerate, as my muddy little featherkids are clean, but what's a buyer to feel about the mud? I'm glad to see the perspectives!

My girls have free run of 1/3 acre here in town, and the ones on the farm have huge grassy runs, as well, but they're like children and play in the muck instead of the grass. It's suddenly sunny and warmer today (praise God, or I'd have given up the ghost!) and the snow is nearly burned off already, so they are eating grass and ignoring the mud today. Hopefully this will be a non-issue, or I may have to install a heated foot-bath at the pop-door!

Seriously, I'm considering wrapping the jump-bars at the door of each of the nest-boxes with old towel remnants to try to clean their feet a tad...I must be barking mad.

I appreciate all of the feedback! You guys are wonderful!