Muddy duck egg

[Ariel301]

I took in a group of Pekin and Runner ducks that are pretty old, I was just going to put them in the freezer next time I butcher a load of chickens. Well, today one laid an egg! In the muddiest, nastiest, grossest spot in the pen imaginable! Then it looks like she rolled it around in the mud just for good measure; I almost stepped on it because it looked like just a mudball. I'd like to try hatching it if it has any chance, but how should I clean it up? Or should I just leave it the way it is? (There is a male in the group so it's got a chance of being fertile).

 

[chickboss]

Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks recomends washing them, so you wouldn't be the first. I would give it a gentle rinse, if it was really bad, and try not to remove all of the bloom if you can help it.

 

[Ariel301]

I'm not sure "gentle rinse" is going to cut it with this one lol...it's pretty stuck on stuff! Our mud pretty much hardens into bricks when it dries. I'll give it a try though.