Hand sanitizer on eggs?

[Backyard Farm]

I am wondering about benefits or problems of using hand sanitizer on eggs?

Came to this thought one day when I wanted to wash my hand before handling some eggs I wanted to incubate. So I washed my hands then used some sanitizer... then thought that might not be good .... so washed my hands again..

... then started thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to apply light coating of hand sanitizer on eggs before they went into the bator. ...or maybe as soon as they were collected... ...or maybe as I was collecting..... or maybe just ask the hens to apply it... LOL

anyway, wondering about any thought anyone has on this. Most sanitizers are alcohol based.... plus "stuff".

I am wondering about doing an experiment in a "backup bator"..

 

[haTHOR]

sounds like a horrible idea to me. i mean...why?

 

[Backyard Farm]

my thought was to kill bacteria on the egg that might later infect the egg and chause the death of a chick.... or so you could wash dirty eggs ("bloom" gets washed off), and still protect them from backeria.

...just a "wondering"

Might very well be a very "not smart" idea... that is way I thought I would ask the very smart folk here.

 

[Camelot Farms]

The egg shell is one of natures most perfect barriers to germs. The bloom left on the egg when its laid is a natural defense.
Hand santizer would ruin the bloom.

Nature knows best.

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

In a backup bator, why not? You may have stumbled on the secret to getting 100% hatches every time!

Good luck!

 

[Backyard Farm]

Yes, that is a concern that the alcohol in the sanitizer would/might destroy the bloom, nature's wonderful protectant.

... but maybe it would protect eggs that are dirty and you want to wash from bacteria being pulled in when the bloom is destroyed by washing.

 

[Backyard Farm]

100% hatch... ah... an illusive dream

I would settle for feeling maybe I had done a little something to prevent a few deaths from bacteria.

 

[hencackle]

The bloom that the hen deposited on the egg is all the egg needs to protect it.

IMO, hand sanitizers are unnecessary; using plain soap and water to cleanse your hands is just fine. Don't use antibacterial soaps because those will kill your unique, natural flora on your skin which protects your skin against other pathogens. There's no danger of antibiotic resistance either from using plain soap.
Triclosan

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

THere are several other products that already kill bacteria such as Oxine, and Brinseas Incubation Disinfectant. I wouldnt go putting anything like that on the eggs.

 

[haTHOR]

i am just thinking...

hand sanitizer = alcohol (plus, usually, fragrance, color, etc)

alcohol = bad for developing embryos (fetal alcohol syndrome, anyone?)

trying to perfect on mother nature always seems like a bad idea to me. who knows...even if the alcohol/chemicals did not hurt them and "worked" (prevented bacterial-related deaths), how could one really say with certainty that those chicks were not WEAK to begin with...you may succeed in preventing bacterial-related deaths only to have extremely immune-suppressed chicks who *should* have died...if you get my meaning.

this just gets my goat b/c it's indicative (in my opinion) of not trusting nature, and instead trusting a concoction of chemicals made in a lab to be perfectly ok. that's my own soapbox...you just mentioned soemthing that makes me want to climb up on it.

but then i am one who has taken note of research on how modern kids are way too clean, and that they should eat more dirt to kick their immune systems into optimal functioning.

good luck.