HELP i recieved shipped eggs that had mildew on them!!!

[natalie1136]

I just recieved my eggs that i ordered. The carton had a yellowish liquid in it. Not sure what that was, but the eggs were damp and had a white powdery mildew on them. I wiped the mildew off with a damp towel and sat them to dry. They are dry now and the mildew appears to be gone, but i'm afraid the mildew has possibly clogged the pores. Can i incubate these eggs. Has anyone ever had this happen to them before?

Thanks for any help you may be able to give me. Natalie


OH, by the way i have just sent the sender an e-mail about this.

 

[Katy]

I think I'd be scared to put them in the bator....you might introduce some mildew into it that would contaminate your incubator and be really hard to get rid of.

I hope the seller gets back to you about it.

 

[dancingbear]

Mildew is black, except powdery mildew like roses and squash plants can get. Are you sure it was a mold? Did they smell moldy? The yellow liquid has me concerned. It could have been exudate from some kind of mold. Those eggs should have been dry. Were there any broken ones? I'd candle and look at the size of the air cells, and see if the eggs appear normal when candled. Candle some fresh eggs of you own (even if they're grocery store eggs) to compare, if you're inexperienced.

It sounds like you may have been sent some old eggs. I don't think I'd want to put them in my bator, same reason as Katy.

 

[natalie1136]

Quote:
When i open the box and got the carton out it smelled like a musty basement. The powdery stuff was easy to wipe off. The yellow liquid dosen't really have a smell to it. It's just weird. I already candled them and they look fine on the inside. I'm more dissappointed because my daughter who is 8 paid for these eggs they are hers. She has been saving her allowance and this is what she wanted.

 

[farmin'chick]

If you're not wanting to put them in your regular incubator, you can make a cheapie for $20 or less depending on what you have available -- I just got my first chick out of grocery store eggs with my homemade one...

Styrofoam cooler -- vent holes punched in top and sides,
one side cut out with a craft knife
insert glass from $1 store picture frame and duct tape in place
Get a $5 bottle lamp kit and use a 15 or 25 watt bulb
I use a digital kitchen thermometer, Walmart sells a thermometer/hydromter for less than $10.
I bought a dimmer switch and wired it into one wire of the lamp kit, so I could adjust the temp
I put a wire screen in the bottom, but you could use a baking rack depending on your cooler size
I just put water in the bottom under the screen rather than in a dish.

That way, if you decide the eggs were contaminated you can strip and sterilize everything except the styrofoam cooler, and pitch it, after you're done. I used a block of styrofoam under the outside of the cooler, switching it from one side to the other as a way of turning the eggs without opening the incubator.

Good hatching vibes!

 

[dancingbear]

Commercial hatcheries sanitize eggs before they incubate them. One of the solutions that can be used for this, is a 10% chlorine bleach solution. Awhile back, I looked up studies on various substances used to sanitize eggs, and their effect on hatch rates. The bleach solution was one of the best to use, it doesn't reduce the hatch rate.

You can simply wash the eggs with warm water and dish soap, rinse well, and dip them in the bleach solution, and let air dry, before you put them in the 'bator. I have done just that with quite a few eggs, and they hatched fine.

That should reduce the likelihood of contaminating your 'bator, if you want to go ahead and incubate them. If I were doing it, I'd candle at 5 days, and check for signs of life. Normally, I wouldn't start getting rid of questionable eggs until at least day 15, but with the weirdness of the package, I don't know. I'd at least be on the alert for funny smells in the 'bator, and watch for anything growing on the eggs.

Maybe somebody else has encountered something similar this, and might have better insight.

The smell could have been from the box, or packing materials, the eggs may be fine. But that yellow liquid, that's weird. I can't imagine shipping a package of eggs, or anything else, with unidentified liquid, and smelling bad. If they do that often, I bet they don't get much repeat business.

So did the air cells look the right size? If so, the eggs are probably fresh, anyway, whether they're contaminated is another question.

What about trying to get the seller to replace them, at no charge, and they pay the shipping, and try not to send something that smells like a moldy basement?

 

[natalie1136]

We've come to the conclusion that the yellow liquid was leakage from the cracked egg. It's the only logical explanation we can come up with. I think i will da as Dancingbear has suggested and wash them good and throw them in and see what happens. Thank everyone for you help.

Anyways the man is replacing the eggs for free. He is super nice and easy to deal with.