How dirty is too dirty?

[dretd]

I just received hatching eggs in the mail. About half have moderate dirt/manure on a portion of the shell. I flicked off the chunks with my fingernail and there is a fair amount I will not be able to scrape off easily. One of the eggs has a spot that was wet and has dried.

I am wondering if its best to leave them as is or try to rinse them (warm water) and gently blot dry. Two of the other eggs are porous so out of 12 eggs I would only set 4 if I don't set the dirty and porous ones.

I am wondering if perhaps I am just being too picky and this amount of dirt is typical? I PM'd the seller and haven't heard back from them yet and just wanted a second opinion. Its my first attempt at incubating eggs so I don't have personal experience to draw from..I am humbly hoping I can use all of yours instead

Thanks a bunch!! Elissa

 

[newham0614]

They look fine to me. If you wash them their is a possiblity of getting bacteria inside the egg which would ruin the hatch. Good Luck

 

[sourland]

X2

 

[Teach97]

I am witht he set them group...look beter than some of the ones I am currently setting...

I will admit to being a washer...my ducks don't pay attention to where they lay...makes for some nasty eggs...is it really too much to ask them to step out of the mud puddle to lay? Not to mention...did we really need to make the mud puddle to begin with!

 

[jm93030]

Every time I get eggs like this I spray the with hydrogen peroxide and wipe the most off with a soft paper towel when they still wet

seems to work for me

 

[dretd]

Oh, yay! I am just over-thinking the whole thing.

One of the porous eggs was damp like the albumin had leached out in shipping. I was not going to set that one unless I am over thinking that one too and all you gurus out there think I am too much of a worry-wart!

I appreciate all of your opinions and your quick replies!

The eggs were packed very nicely, by the way.

 

[Gypsy07]

They look cleaner than the eggs that come out of my nesting box every day and cleaner than the eggs that I just successfully hatched big strong healthy chicks out of. I also had a very porous looking egg that I really didn't like the look of. But it hatched out fine while other cleaner, fresher and better looking eggs didn't. Go figure...

 

[PaintedGemsRanch]

Well unless we would all give our chickens toilet paper you're not going to always have clean eggs.

I have a hen that insists on pooping in yhe box just before laying an egg. Silly girl... But no they look fine to me and no I don't recommend washing them.

 

[gumbii]

oh of all of my hens, one of them is a super neat freak when it comes to eggs... she sets them in the one spot where the others can't get to them or poop on them... but everyone else... omg... filthy eggs...


those look great... start cooking...!

 

[secuono]

I've read poo and stuck bedding/feathers is too much, any less is just fine.