dirty eggs

[onthespot]

I have some not-so clean eggs in there right now. I will try to keep track of them at hatching time. I did try once with a very DARK marans egg that got yolk all over it from another egg breaking with three hens fighting over who lays in the box in what order. The egg never developed. I didn't crack it to see, but nothing ever became dark. I should have cracked it. I suppose if something tried, it suffocated from the yolk

 

[little_grey_bantam]

Quote:
I was going to do a test this week. Sometimes on a rainy day, I get a bunch of dirty eggs or if I manage to save up a dozen and a half dirty eggs from the eggs I didn't sell, I figure out a way to incubate them.

I saw a show where they dipped them in chlorox and they had a killer hatch rate!
I'm actually going to try it.

Are you sure they didn't dip in oxine? I would think that bleach is toxic

Nope, they said a very dilute solution of bleach... BUT the eggs weren't dirty, just spots of dirt here and there.

Edit: "those" as in the ones with like a speck of dirt on them lol

I've only used those and hatched them successfully... HOWEVER, I haven't tried washing or cleaning any eggs... I want to try it with the super duper dirty eggs. I would think if it was muddy-dirty and not poopy-dirty, it'd be alright. But as stated, I haven't tried.

If people bothered me enough, I'm sure I can try using a dilute solution and maybe soap or something; I shipped out about 5-6 dozen eggs this week and had about 2-3 dozen that were dirty (muddy) anywhere from a spot of dirt up to a few really dirty ones (we have a few hens who LOVE to lay in puddles... I do NOT know why.)

Than again, I never hatch eggs that are "fresh" all my fresh eggs go to people who purchase them. I usually end up taking forever to save 48 eggs for me to incubate and I've had killer hatch rates! Up to 80% from eggs that were 2 weeks or older! I get the crappy, dirty, old and funny shaped ones LOL

But for BYCs, you do nice things like that, because they're so friggan' nice!

I'll try to do my experiment and let everyone know what happens!

 

[geebs]

If I had to wait for a clean egg in Oregon.... I would never have a hatch.. Hatched lots of them... I do NOT wipe them off...I pat them at the MOST... They can be hatched quite successfully and I have a bator full of them this time of year... I get a 95 percent hatch rate.... Dirty eggs and all... Just don't wash em or wipe em... A little pick here and there does no harm... and I dont' use anything exceptionally cacked with nastiness...