Washing eggs...and a mean broody hen...

jgagnon

In the Brooder
11 Years
Jun 6, 2008
10
0
22
My hens have just started laying about a month ago. Apparently one of then is a bantam. She is much smaller than the others and has decided that everyones eggs are her own and she refuses to get off of them. The other hens practically sit on her and lay eggs ON her because they like the nesting box she is in and she wont get out. Heres the problem. She wont let me near the eggs. She pecks and hisses any time I try to move her aside or go under her for the eggs. I would just put some gloves on and take the eggs anyways but the rooster stands right behind me and makes me nervous
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I caught her off the eggs getting some food last night and there were 15 eggs under her! They were all cold though so shed been off them for a while by that point. What do I do about her?

So when I do end up stealing the eggs from her... what do I wash them with? I will not use bleach. What are my options?
 
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I just finished downloading an article about hatching egg sanitation. I don't know how to add a link, but it was a link through CA 4H site to State University's Ag resource page.
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well first off
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to the forum and next if your rooster makes you nervous you need to pick him up carry him around and this will let him know your the boss.
As far as the hen just ignore her she can't bite that hard.

And lastly there is no need to wash the eggs. But if one has poop on it a damp towel will suffice.
By washing the egg you will take the bloom off it, this is a coating that the hen puts on the egg before laying and it protects the egg from absorbing bacteria. I don't refrigerate my eggs either
 
If your bantam hen has been sitting on these eggs for several days, the embryos have started to grow. These eggs likely won't be anything that you will want to eat. Most people freak out when they open an egg and find a partly developed chick in it.

Also, 15 eggs under a bantam is far too many. She certainly can't cover all of them at the same time, and may of them have started to develop, and then got chilled when she turned them. I'd discard the entire batch and pen the hen separate so she will stop being broody. Then, if you want to hatch some eggs later when she again goew broody, you should isolate her so the others can't disturb her and let her hatch to her heart's content. Good luck!
 

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