Incubators Anonymous

[CashandTracy]

lol, My Easter Egger layed her first egg today.....only if my roo was old enough to fertilize her eggs.
Heres the picture, it kind of looks like a lima bean



Gertrude likes to lay in the milk crate instead of the nestboxes.

Bahahah!

It looks like a jelly bean!

 

[gander007]

Alright what is the reason to wash the egg's in bleach ,,, asking because I never was or clean any of my egg's before putting them in the incubator ....

 

[TherryChicken]

I clean poop off of mine with a wipe. It helps keep the bacteria down during the incubation

 

[ozexpat]

I just brush off the big bits but if the nests are only used for laying and not roosting, I rarely get poop on an egg.

 

[DMRippy]

Alright what is the reason to wash the egg's in bleach ,,, asking because I never was or clean any of my egg's before putting them in the incubator ....

I don't worry about cleaning them. Like OZ said I get the big stuff off and set them. Broodies can hatch some nasty eggs. Rarely does it cause a problem, they seem to hatch just fine.

 

[debbiegt]

swaps get me into trouble I just bred some rabbit yesterday so i would have kits to sell at a small animal swap  in Sept..which has every shape and color of egg  and bird you can imagine....I am taking chicks,rabbits juvinile birds , hen saddles...who know what will come home

what city or state is the swap? I am looking for one near me.

 

[Sylviaanne]

Alright what is the reason to wash the egg's in bleach ,,, asking because I never was or clean any of my egg's before putting them in the incubator ....

Lots of reasons the eggs would get filthy but I have some ducks and the dirt/mud out here gets like clay and hardens on the eggs so I asked about washing them before putting them in the incubator and read several posts and threads about washing them. Some people are for washing them, stating that the eggs you get in the supermarket are washed so washing them isn't a bad thing. Other people say washing them washes the "bloom" off of them and can let in bacteria and cause an egg to go bad. Usually, they are talking about using an incubator, not eggs under a broody hen.

There have been lots of experiments on washing vs not washing and some people say they see no difference in their hatch rates while other people say they see an increase or decrease in their hatch rates when washing the eggs. If you wash your eggs, it does take the "bloom" off them and the "bloom" is a protective shield that prevents bacteria from entering the pores of the eggs and causing them to go bad faster. BUT there does seem to be a proper method to washing them and getting them to hatch. If you are washing them, you must use very hot water: the reason for this is to open the pores so the bacteria can be flushed from them. People use water hot enough you will want to wear gloves. If you are not using hot water you maybe pushing bacteria INTO the pores. You also must use a tiny bit of bleach in the water to help kill more bacteria.

I hate putting my filthy duck eggs in my incubator so I want to try washing them and seeing if I have any luck at hatching eggs after washing them.

Oh, I forgot to say that washing the eggs BEFORE they have started to incubate, then using really hot water is not supposed to harm them.

I also forgot to say that the only other time I wash the eggs is when they are dirty and we plan on eating them.

Sorry, Gander. I over explained, I didn't realize it was you. I wanted to make sure someone with less knowledge than me would have all the info they needed.

 

[Sylviaanne]

I clean poop off of mine with a wipe. It helps keep the bacteria down during the incubation

What kind of wipe do you use? I bought some Lysol wipes but I was going to ask before I used them to make sure if they were safe to use on the eggs before putting them in the incubator.

 

[ozexpat]

Lots of reasons the eggs would get filthy but I have some ducks and the dirt/mud out here gets like clay and hardens on the eggs so I asked about washing them before putting them in the incubator and read several posts and threads about washing them. Some people are for washing them, stating that the eggs you get in the supermarket are washed so washing them isn't a bad thing. Other people say washing them washes the "bloom" off of them and can let in bacteria and cause an egg to go bad. Usually, they are talking about using an incubator, not eggs under a broody hen.

There have been lots of experiments on washing vs not washing and some people say they see no difference in their hatch rates while other people say they see an increase or decrease in their hatch rates when washing the eggs. If you wash your eggs, it does take the "bloom" off them and the "bloom" is a protective shield that prevents bacteria from entering the pores of the eggs and causing them to go bad faster. BUT there does seem to be a proper method to washing them and getting them to hatch. If you are washing them, you must use very hot water: the reason for this is to open the pores so the bacteria can be flushed from them. People use water hot enough you will want to wear gloves. If you are not using hot water you maybe pushing bacteria INTO the pores. You also must use a tiny bit of bleach in the water to help kill more bacteria.

I hate putting my filthy duck eggs in my incubator so I want to try washing them and seeing if I have any luck at hatching eggs after washing them.

Oh, I forgot to say that washing the eggs BEFORE they have started to incubate, then using really hot water is not supposed to harm them.

I also forgot to say that the only other time I wash the eggs is when they are dirty and we plan on eating them.

Sorry, Gander. I over explained, I didn't realize it was you. I wanted to make sure someone with less knowledge than me would have all the info they needed.

The studies I have read suggest using water 10 degrees warmer than ambient. I have yet to find a study that says really hot water.

Could you provide a link please

 

[TherryChicken]

What kind of wipe do you use? I bought some Lysol wipes but I was going to ask before I used them to make sure if they were safe to use on the eggs before putting them in the incubator.

I use either baby wipes or bathroom wipes. I wouldnt use lysol wipes, but thats just me