Hatching eggs? To wash or not to wash?

[rarebreedeggs4u]

What are everyone's opinions on this? I have people saying NEVER wash and people saying wash ALL hatching eggs.

The always wash people say 1 TB bleach to one gallon of lukewarm water, work fast soaking a few at a time, gently wiping away any dirt and watch for floaters (rotten eggs), then set on an egg rack to dry before setting.

Then there are the "wipe only with a towel/paper towel" folks and some of the university ag. sites I've seen say use fine grit sand paper on dirty spots, no washing...arrrgh~LOL

 

[NapsWithChickens]

Yeah, I would be interested in hearing the answer to this one, too.

 

[mulia24]

better not to wash them since water can be a very good way to transfer bacteria and germs into egg and cause blood ring.

especially with duck egg, no need to wash, they have been earning ability to be a dirty and muddy poultry since they were born.

if mud/dirt persist, perhaps just like you said, use sand paper, don't rub it too hard.

 

[SallyF]

I'm with Mulia24 on this one. The broody hen doesn't wash her eggs and they seem to hatch just fine usually. It's not nice to criticize Mother Nature.

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

Quote:
It's also not nice to have oozing/exploding eggs in the incubator

Hens are smart enough to push out bad eggs

I bought a large group of eggs a few months ago and had a LOT of oozers that would have exploded if left...nastiness! The smell was so bad (you could smell it BEFORE you got in the house) I had to pull ALL eggs out in the middle of incubation for 15-20 minutes and disinfect the entire incubator, trays and all...not great on the eggs:/

I've had several people tell me that washing would help prevent that and floaters would show bad eggs before they were set...?? Help!

 

[Tony]

My first batch of eggs I ever hatched were washed, some were out of the refrigerator and some were even frozen and wiped clean using the snow on the ground at the time. I incubated 42 eggs and hatched them all. I don`t recommend washing or not washing, I`m just saying. lol
Here`s my original post on the subject:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=47241

 

[pips&peeps]

I have never had an oozing egg from my own flock. I purchased hatching egg several years ago from someone and got a couple oozers.

With that said, I sometimes spot wash with a warm paper towel to get off bigger specks of dirt/poo. Also, I spray the eggs to be set with oxine.

I would like to know if anyone here has experienced oozers with their own flock? Because I am leaning on the side of that "if it oozes it is probably pretty old". But, I could be wrong.

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

pips&peeps :

I have never had an oozing egg from my own flock. I purchased hatching egg several years ago from someone and got a couple oozers.

With that said, I sometimes spot wash with a warm paper towel to get off bigger specks of dirt/poo. Also, I spray the eggs to be set with oxine.

I would like to know if anyone here has experienced oozers with their own flock? Because I am leaning on the side of that "if it oozes it is probably pretty old". But, I could be wrong.

I've never had oozers with my own floak and I've set eggs up to 2 weeks old.

Can you tell me more about the Oxine? What is it and how is it used? Thanks so much!​

 

[SallyF]

Quote:
I have to admit I've only used outside incubators with two legs and covered with feathers. Your situation does put a different slant on things!

 

[pips&peeps]

http://www.atozvetsupply.com/OXINE-p/40-oxine.htm

You don't need the activation crystals.