How do you know which eggs to incubate? porous eggs, meat spots, etc.

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

This is my first time hatching eggs and I'm using my 2 broody barnevelders to hatch them for us. We're not allowed roosters where I live, so I ordered eggs through the mail for my broodys to set on. The eggs have just arrived and I have questions about which ones to use.

All eggs were packaged very secure and safe - no cracked eggs, but one of the eggs had some dried egg on it and another was still sticky wet with egg on the outside (after 1 1/2 days of being on the road, wrapped in bubble wrap). Do these eggs still have a chance - I know you aren't normally supposed to wash the eggs, but is cleaning off the old egg better than leaving it on there (bacteria-wise)?

I was asked on a previous thread that I started (about my broody accidently cracking her eggs) whether or not I candled the eggs before putting them under her to find out if they were porous.

So... this time, I candled all of them - one does not have an air sac (it looks like the yolk (or something) is floating and floats all the way down to the large end of the egg), another has a meat spot/blood spot - are these possibly viable?

All but one are very porous - what causes that? Does this mean they are more likely to break when under a broody hen? I'm still going to put them under by broody, but am wondering if we have a greater chance of losing some to due to breakage. I've only candled a couple of my own non-fertile eggs (for comparison) and the eggs from my own hens are also porous even though they have full access to oyster shell.

 

[dancingbear]

Yes, very porous eggs are more likely to break. The shells are thinner and weaker. They're also more prone to contamination, because bacteria can more easily get through thinner shells. But since you have them already, you may as well set them all, cross your fingers and hope for the best. Be sure you mark them with the date you set them (or the date they should hatch) and if your broodies are not separate from the rest of the flock, you might want to do something about that. Other hens will climb in to lay eggs with your broodies, and greatly increase the risk of breaking the eggs.

I check under my broodies daily for broken eggs, so I can clean up the nest right away of there is a broken one. That way you don't have rotting egg in the nest, or later, decaying dead partly-formed chick.

Maybe on future egg orders, you can ask the seller if they would send only eggs with strong shells, because you intend to put them under a hen. If they won't agree to do that, maybe find a different seller.

I'm surprised somebody would send you eggs with wet egg on them. Most people would at least wipe them off. I don't think I would order from that person again.

I don't usually, but I have sometimes washed eggs prior to incubating, both in an incubator and under a hen. It didn't seem to make any difference in the hatch rate. I know a lot of people are concerned about removing the bloom from the eggs, but I suspect that under a hen, it gets rubbed off pretty quickly anyway. I'd think washing an egg vs. leaving an egg with poop, egg goo, or anything else that could cause bacterial contamination, washing is the less risky option. Wash gently, warm water, don't scrub.