Eggs..........to wash or not to wash?

[Lensters]

I don't believe in the bloom theory. My hatch rate with unwashed eggs is 12% lower than they ones I wash in hot water right before putting them in the 'bator. My experiment lasted through the first 200 eggs, now I wash them all. I think that preheating them helps and it is easier on the 'bator since it doesn't have to warm them up so much (I do staggered hatches, hatching on most Mondays).

 

[Dora'smom]

I put them in cartons to refrigerate, just as they come out of the nest box. In a case where there is an excessively dirty one like today---I wash in plain water, approximately the temperature of the egg. If we are storing a few grubby ones, and I need to give some to someone, I will wash them off so they look "nice". Otherwise I just gently wash them in lukewarm plain water right before using. I just feel I'm fending off a few potential problems this way.

 

[savingdogs]

The clean looking ones I put right in the carton.

The dirty looking ones I wash with water warmer than the egg, no soap.

I've read washing the bloom off makes it go bad faster so I put the dirty one that got washed with the eggs I plan to eat right away.

I refridgerate all the eggs after we count how many we got each given day.