Sponsored Post Should eggs be cleaned before setting in an incubator?

[jasmin 39360]

Egg white is natural to the egg and is actually beneficial to the egg. We are told to never use water because it seals the pores of the egg.

 

[Catfish267]

I've done everything people said not to do and mine hatched just fine.

 

[Chickens R Us]

Very informative article thank you.

 

[Silkies89]

 

[rhelms]

Awesome post. As a nurse I can appreciate the science behind the protocol. I never considered the permeable layer of the shell and how it works. As a new chicken enthusiast I just had not thought about it. Thank you for putting it all together for me.

I will wash with warm water those I choose to eat and leave the others to mother nature as God intended.

 

[beausonge]

Thanks for this wonderful information. I have always washed eggs in cold water - never even occurred to me about osmosis. I was always worried about washing eggs in hot water so this article has been VERY helpful!

Vickie et al
Kelso, WA

 

[Deerfield Acres]

I visited recently with a real poultryman whose father was a poultryman before him. The day before I visited he was candling 3,000 turkey eggs. He raises thousands of chicks, goslings and poults every year. A friend who was with me asked if he had any suggestions because she was having an unusual dip in hatch rates. His first question was "Do you wash your eggs?" She quickly assured him she did not so as to not remove the protective coating. He smiled and calmly said "That's a bunch of crap." HUH? So he went on to explain that he wasn't about to load any bacteria into his incubators, if he could at all avoid it. The temp in an incubator is perfect for growth, including bacterial growth. He says to scrub your eggs clean in cold water and then pour water heated to 140 degrees with Tek Trol in it over the eggs. This forces the tek trol solution between the shell and membrane where any remaining bacteria would be hiding. He actually uses a power washer to wash his own eggs!

I had to laugh at myself. I'm so careful about incubating, careful to leave the "bloom" on, careful to be sure the automatic turner is working, worry without ceasing over the humidity. He power washes his eggs and says he never turns them and never worries about humidity. So there you go.

 

[Zootopia]

I visited recently with a real poultryman whose father was a poultryman before him. The day before I visited he was candling 3,000 turkey eggs. He raises thousands of chicks, goslings and poults every year. A friend who was with me asked if he had any suggestions because she was having an unusual dip in hatch rates. His first question was "Do you wash your eggs?" She quickly assured him she did not so as to not remove the protective coating. He smiled and calmly said "That's a bunch of crap." HUH? So he went on to explain that he wasn't about to load any bacteria into his incubators, if he could at all avoid it. The temp in an incubator is perfect for growth, including bacterial growth. He says to scrub your eggs clean in cold water and then pour water heated to 140 degrees with Tek Trol in it over the eggs. This forces the tek trol solution between the shell and membrane where any remaining bacteria would be hiding. He actually uses a power washer to wash his own eggs!

I had to laugh at myself. I'm so careful about incubating, careful to leave the "bloom" on, careful to be sure the automatic turner is working, worry without ceasing over the humidity. He power washes his eggs and says he never turns them and never worries about humidity. So there you go.

OMG!! Isn't it amazing how people can do everything we "know" not to do and do it for years on end and it works for them !! The next Old Timer would tell you that that is the worst thing you could do. Lol A Power Washer !! Really !!!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

OMG!! Isn't it amazing how people can do everything we "know" not to do and do it for years on end and it works for them !!
The next Old Timer would tell you that that is the worst thing you could do. Lol

A Power Washer !! Really !!!

The worst, for sure!

Nothing more mind boggling than the thought of using a power washer to clean my eggs.

 

[billeteytiki]

If I placed them in a bowl of water to see if they float or sink, does that disqualify the possibility of their ever hatching? ( I was planning on eating them but now considering incubation sorry first time)