Dirty Eggs: to Clean, or Not to Clean Before Incubation?

[shanaketch09]

I just received some eggs in the mail unwashed to preserve the bloom on the egg, they're pretty dirty, however. Should I clean them before I put them in my incubator? I normally don't do anything with my eggs before incubate them but I've never had eggs this dirty. I'm worried the chicks will get sick from the dirt/bacteria on the shell, or am I just being over paranoid? LOL. Thank you!!

 

[Mimi13]

I just received some eggs in the mail unwashed to preserve the bloom on the egg, they're pretty dirty, however. Should I clean them before I put them in my incubator? I normally don't do anything with my eggs before incubate them but I've never had eggs this dirty. I'm worried the chicks will get sick from the dirt/bacteria on the shell, or am I just being over paranoid? LOL. Thank you!!

I definitely would not wash them, maybe just take a cloth and wipe the loose dirt (hopefully) off. I think more bacteria would make its way into the egg if washed versus doing nothing. I’m sure in the wild the eggs are dirty too.

 

[shanaketch09]

I definitely would not wash them, maybe just take a cloth and wipe the loose dirt (hopefully) off. I think more bacteria would make its way into the egg if washed versus doing nothing. I’m sure in the wild the eggs are dirty too.

That’s kind of what I was thinking too, I wasn’t too sure. Thank you so much!!

 

[NanaKat]

Without a photo hard to picture how dirty the eggs are...
You can also use a soft brush or gently scrape some of the heavy dirt off the egg surface with your fingernail or an emery cloth...not the same as an emery board!

I use a 10% solution of Oxine to mist my eggs, allow to dry and then place on the trays for incubating.
The same can be done with a 10% solution of Gold Listerine (not blue or green).
Both are anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral products. In fact the gold Listerine was originally developed to clean surgical rooms.

 

[HuffleClaw]

I definitely would not wash them, maybe just take a cloth and wipe the loose dirt (hopefully) off. I think more bacteria would make its way into the egg if washed versus doing nothing. I’m sure in the wild the eggs are dirty too.

x2

 

[littlepip]

I didn't wash any of my eggs, but I still had over a 50% hatch rate.

 

[shanaketch09]

Thanks everyone!!! I decided to kind of pick off chunks of dirt that might prevent my incubator from turning them, and I’ve left them dirty! All embryos are growing and wiggling! You guys are the best!

 

[Mrs Peep]

I have a double yolk duck egg (the fourth one in the last month) & decided to try to hatch it. It was pretty dirty. Instead of washing it I sanded it down with a sanding block with very fine grit. Will that be okay?

 

[Mimi13]

I have a double yolk duck egg (the fourth one in the last month) & decided to try to hatch it. It was pretty dirty. Instead of washing it I sanded it down with a sanding block with very fine grit. Will that be okay?

I would be a bit weary actually using a sanding block to “sand” off dirt. You could possibly lessen the integrity of the egg’s structure.

I will keep my fingers crossed for your duck’s egg to hatch and also for the little “twins” to be just fine. Best of luck.

 

[Mosey2003]

I will never understand why it's become thought of as better to use sanding paper or a brush on a bloom rather than merely getting it wet I would have washed.