Some simple, but necessary questions--Help!! My 1st eggs come today!!!

[btpeters]

I've done a little research, and just couldn't find the answers to these questions...

1) should I wash eggs before i incubate?? if so, in what? what if they look clean vs dirty?

2) and...should I wash my brand new incubator? if so, in what? (i don't have the brinsea product the manual said to use...)

3) i have been reading about how to rotate eggs and i'm a little confused...you are supposed to avoid having the pointy side up, right? does this mean that even when you rotate them on their sides to avoid having the pointy end up higher, if even for a second or 2? I'm not sure if they are only talking about keeping them setting that way, or anytime you handle them.

4) my manual said to wait to rotate eggs till day 2---is this what you all do?

5) there is no humidity gauge on my brinsea mini eco---i assume i just put one in there, right? on top of the eggs ok?

6) for all you manual rotators...how many times a day do YOU rotate usually? 3 or 5?

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!!

 

[Gypsy07]

1. Washing eggs is a hotly debated topic around here. I think it's a matter of personal preference really. Some people insist washing the protective bloom off eggs is really bad news, but big hatcheries sanitise all their eggs. I have hatched washed and unwashed eggs and haven't noticed any significant difference in hatch rates. It's a good idea to start with eggs that are as clean as possible though. If you do decide to wash them, you could just rinse them under hot running water, or you could use Brinsea egg sanitiser, or a dilute bleach solution. Or probably a dozen more things!

2. Probably a good idea to wash your incubator. Same way as food containers always say 'wash before first use'. I wash my incubator with a dilute bleach solution, then rinse thoroughly in hot water. Other people use all sorts of things to wash their bators with.

3. Pointy end down is for when you're storing them before incubating, for when you are putting them in an egg turner that tilts them from side to side, and for when you are hatching them in cartons. They won't explode if the pointy end gets half an inch above the fat end for a few seconds and the embryo won't instantly die. I think it just means, any time the eggs are going to be placed upright, it should be the fat end on the top. For incubators that roll the eggs on turning rails (like mine) the eggs lie on their sides, and they do fine like that. For handling the eggs, the main rules are to wash your hands first, and to be very gentle with them. No sharp tilting or jarring them.

4. I'm not sure, I've never heard that before. My bator turns eggs every hour as soon as they go in there.

5. I'll leave this one for someone with a mini Eco to answer.

6. Ditto!

Good luck with your new bator and your eggs!

 

[btpeters]

thanks for taking the time to answer---you cleared the washing thing up for me a bit and relieved my worry about the pointy end thingy---

if anyone knows or has a guess about the humidity question #5, I'd appreciate it! (as well as any more to add to the other questions...) thanks!