Just got my new incubator!

[jeepchick]

Just picked up my very first incubator and egg turner!! My choices for what to hatch are Japanese Bantams or Guineas. Everyones else isnt laying yet and the roo i have in with my barred rocks doesn't seem to get it on muchthat I have seen

So I think ill start with Guineas in the morning!

I'm so excited! Ny question is ...... the eggs I snatched from the nest today are NASTY! Been raining like mad here and they are covered in mud. Can I clean them before putting them in or do I have to try and find some cleaner eggs??

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

If you have continues layers, use the clean eggs. You can wash them but it washes off the bloom which allows bacteria to get inside. THere are differing opinions, some folks use dirty eggs washed off with warm water and have luck but I figure wash the dirty ones and consume them, use the clean eggs to hatch.

 

[L.L Farm]

Don't clean the eggs whatever you do, just gently wipe off some mud, or wait till the mud is dry and "crusty" and try to pick some of. The reason I say to not wash the eggs is because when you wash, most of the time it takes off the eggs outer coating. It's OK if the eggs have some gunk on them, they don't have to be 100% clean. I've hatched eggs out fine that were muddy, or just had a lot of gunk on them


Good Luck!

 

[LilyD]

congrats on your new incubator. I got a chickbator and while it does work some I am going for a larger hoverbator once they get them into the feed store, that way my hatching rate will go up.