Eggs were washed - need to vent...

[Tuffoldhen]

I have hatched hundreds of chicks, never have washed the eggs. I will not set eggs tho that are dirty.

 

[trishok8]

Quote:
Excellent point!

Actually the hen turns the eggs just and shifts them around as she sits on them and that does clean them. Next time you have a hen sitting on a clutch of eggs take some mud and rub it on one egg, go back a day or so later and see if you can find the mud.

Steve in NC

I'm aware of that, my hens have hatched eggs and they turn them to the point where they almost put a shine on them. I just think there is a difference between the natural process a hens puts an egg thru and an actual "cleaning"

To each his own.

 

[klf73]

It may also be due to HOW the eggs were cleaned. Temp of water, soap, handling, etc. I personally have never washed any.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Agreed. I expect that people who wash fresh, properly handled, viable eggs get good hatches & the people who wash eggs with a poor chance of hatching get poor hatches. I expect the same is true of people who don't wash their eggs.
Personally I make a point of keeping nesting material clean so I don't have to wash them. The occasional dirty egg becomes breakfast.

 

[skeeter9]

I think you have the answer to your question, but to add another comment - I had some shipped eggs arrive with several crushed, so the ones that were still intact were covered in scrambled egg. I rinsed them thoroughly in very warm running water, then proceeded with the incubation process as usual. I had a super hatch. Normally I don't clean them at all before I set them.