float and disinfect eggs before incubation???

[NiteHawk]

Hello
A newbie question--
We just popped our eggs in the incubator and did nothing else to them.. I know I have an airflow issue that has to be worked on, we did have some hatch, but not a good ratio at all.. I was watching a youtube video and the guy said to spritz the eggs before storing with 50/50 Listerine and water, to disinfect the eggs, and then before setting to "float" the eggs before setting to re-hydrate eggs and check for "duds"--floaters -before setting.. Does this advice sound correct??
Thanks

 

[Folly's place]

I've never done it; maybe he's trying to eliminate Marek's disease virus on the eggshells?
I do try to keep the eggs slightly- very slightly-- damper than ambient conditions, depending on how things are on my counter at the time.
Mary

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Bad advice. IMO Great job, seeking a second opinion.

NO fresh egg will float. If you have to check for that you have collection issues. So putting your eggs inside water will eliminate the coating that is already on them for protection. Sorry the name doesn't come to mind right now. It will also spread around anything that's on the egg... maybe making you need to sanitize.

If your eggs are poo free... set them. I do it all the time and have fantastic hatches. Sometimes 100% even. Never washed a single egg (OK ONE), had my incubators (3) running since before Thanksgiving and still getting great hatches 6 plus months later just wiping out my hatcher, and using paper towels to line the shelf that remove once messy hatch is over. I rinse with hot water and use my finger to dislodge any slime that developed in the water wells and return.

I have sat eggs that I just scraped dry poo off. I don't recommend it, but they still hatch.

FAR more important to me is breeder nutrition to your hatch rate. Keep you lay boxes clean and REALLY it shouldn't be an issue. Also having calibrated thermometer and hygrometer, moving your eggs to a new place inside the bator for even development because temp variances ARE relevant and common/normal even in forced air. Also like to run "dry" hatches (incubation humidity at 40% until lock down)

You don't rehydrate eggs... you store them correctly in the first place. Dude sounds a little bit like a um... well lets just say there are better ways.

Sanitizing can improve hatch rates. I think minimally. Won't knock his method since I'm not familiar. Getting nutrition (inquire if curious) and incubation parameters will be the biggest bang for buck. Sorry for repeating myself. Genetics is always a factor. Here is a great resource...
https://www.hubbardbreeders.com/media/incubation_guideen__053407700_1525_26062017.pdf

Hope this is helpful.

Happy hatching!

 

[Zinjifrah]

I would not float eggs prior to setting, but I have read very good things about the spray-down. I didn't use Listerine on mine, I used 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, after reading a few dozen opinions and reviews on it. This was really the deciding factor for me, though:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1906612

To my understanding, that just needs to happen at some point during incubation, not necessarily before setting them. I sprayed mine down and let them air dry as part of their 24-hour resting/acclimating period, since they were shipped.

 

[NiteHawk]

We try to keep the eggs / nest boxes as clean as possible, but it still a barn and boo-boos do happen in nest boxes..
I just read something else that recommended hydrogen peroxide "spritz" before setting.
In my opinion Listerine sounds a bit harsh if you need to do any cleaning, peroxide sounds a bit "nicer" as there shouldn't be any left over residue on the eggs to possibly effect the embryo.
We have had chickens for many years, but hatching is a totally new ball game and am trying to learn as much as I can, and want to hear from more experienced folks out there...
thanks for the replies..

 

[mdees88]

I raise quail and have set over 300 SHIPPED quail eggs in my incubator. Over the 300 plus eggs from different sellers I have averaged a 74% hatch rate on total eggs set and a 93% hatch rate on viable eggs at lockdown.

I have never float tested eggs before setting them. I also have never used any disinfectant on the eggs. And none of the sellers I purchased the eggs from have mentioned using any kind of disinfectant.

When I received the eggs I candle them to check for small cracks then I immediately put them in the incubator without letting them "rest". I do not touch them again until lockdown. At lockdown I candle them and remove any clears. This is how I do it and it is not necessarily the "right" way to do it but this system works for me.

Since your hatching your own eggs, I think your poor hatch rate is most likely due to temperature/humidity/air flow issues with the incubator.

What incubator do you have?
What temps and humidity are you running? What do you run at lockdown?
Are you using a verified accurate thermometer/hygrometer?

 

[NiteHawk]

Thanks for the reply
Our incubator is homemade out of an old fridge. We do have a computerized heater in it, however I am pretty sure there is an air flow issue, as the rack where the heater probe is had the best hatch. Also,One lady commented to me ( do not know where she got her information from) that the sussex had a lower fertility rate than the easter eggers and marans which hatched by far more than the sussex, even though the easter eggs were older than the sussex.
Also, afterwards I asked a family member how old the eggs were, and I got a bit of a sheepish look, and ,"well rather older" reply..
It is in the plan to tear apart a small space heater for the AC fan that is inside, and experiment as to the best location where to drive the heat down to the lower racks.
I have fans on the bottom to blow over the water container, and I plan to tip one of them to the side to blow the cooler wet air towards the top of the fridge. I am planning on trying to get the air flowing in a circle..
I plan on doing a test run for a couple of days with everything in place, before we set another batch...