Eggs before going into the incubator.

[savannahRoos22]

I got some really helpful advice on a hatching support thread. And I really appreciate it but I want more peoples opinions. Do eggs need turned all the way around or can they be tilted side to side? And some people clean and extremely disinfect their eggs. ? Do you agree that I should do that?

 

[lazy gardener]

I do not disinfect my eggs. I incubate in cartons, tilting the cartons, and even flipping the cartons (so that the right end of the carton now becomes the left end of the carton), AND moving the middle eggs in a carton to the ends, and moving the end eggs to the middle... AND every few days, I rotate the eggs in their egg cups. I'm a bit OCD about this, but it helps me to ensure that all eggs rotate through any warm/cool spots in the bator, and that the eggs get turned well.

If an egg is dirty, I don't put it in the bator. But, I hatch from my own flock, and it's easy to pick and choose which eggs to incubate, and even increase the bedding so there are very few skid marks on the hatching eggs.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

First, DO NOT clean your eggs if you are going to hatch them. That takes off protective coating on the egg. I just rotate the eggs every day or so.