Dirty poopy eggs under broody

[David Normandy]

Hello, I have a silkie who is a great mommy and is on her second brood. This time she has ten eggs which I bought and placed under her, they're due for August 29th. I noticed this morning when she briefly got up to eat that the eggs were really dirty and have some poo on them. Is this dangerous? I'm afraid if I washed them it might harm them, also I really want to minimize any stress for my broody. I've seen threads about washing incubated eggs but this is a bit different.

 

[sumi]

A few weeks ago one of my broody hens accidentally broke one of her eggs and the remaining eggs got the contents smeared all over them. I washed the dirty eggs under warm water, not hot, just a bit over lukewarm, and replaced them after cleaning up her nest. The eggs hatched and the chicks were fine.

Check how bad the poop is and if you can't scratch if off or remove it without wetting it. If that's not an option, wash them, dry and them replace them. Don't use soap or anything, just water!

Good luck with the hatch!

 

[David Normandy]

A few weeks ago one of my broody hens accidentally broke one of her eggs and the remaining eggs got the contents smeared all over them. I washed the dirty eggs under warm water, not hot, just a bit over lukewarm, and replaced them after cleaning up her nest. The eggs hatched and the chicks were fine.

Check how bad the poop is and if you can't scratch if off or remove it without wetting it. If that's not an option, wash them, dry and them replace them. Don't use soap or anything, just water!

Good luck with the hatch!

Hello, how do I handle them? Is it okay to do it so early in the incubation period?

 

[sumi]

Handle them carefully. Try not to jar them, knock them or shake them. I've washed mine fairly early in the incubation period, cannot remember exactly when, but it was early days.