Washing eggs before incubation?

[jeremy]

A quick question, I found my Polish egg on the floor of the coop ( probably because she couldn't see to reach the nesting boxes...) it's a bit dirty, is it okay to wash the egg before incubation? What should I wash it with, warm water?

Thanks guys!

 

[MomMommyMamma]

I think I read somewhere not to wash, but I'm hoping to see more answers.

 

[pascopol]

This is one of the controversial subject in the bird hatching world, and thery is many sometimes extreme opinions there.

Personally I am reluctant to wash eggs.

Even mine last experience hatching Guinea eggs proved washing , perhaps rather "sprinkling" does not harm them.

That what happenned:

Friend of mine gave me about 25 Guinea hen eggs she found on her 5 acres property. She does not know how old the eggs were. It was just a nest full of eggs.

Here is the thriller. Eggs were subject to daily watering by sprinkler system to the extent they got rusty from well water iron, they looked just like Welsummer eggs after this water treatment.

I incubated them anyway (could not candle them cause of heavy brown discoloration) and I hatched 15 healthy guineas out of 25 eggs, the hatch was going for 4 days! meaning some of the eggs were probably partially incubated by a hen, then more eggs were laid, meanwhile they all were watered daily with rusty water.

Draw your own conclusions regarding this.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

All I will say is this:
In my opinion, the eggs that a hen broods herself get pooped on for 21-25 days... so I don't believe that washing the eggs is really necessary... the only time I could see them needing washing is if another egg cracked open and gooed all over another egg, thus clogging the pores of the other egg.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I prefer to wash and sanitize mine. Every commercial hatchery I've ever read about does so I do as well.

But it is one of those never ending debate topics. Do what you think is best.

 

[Louise's Country Closet]

You can always wash it and use it as an experiment

I was getting eggs last year from a guy who didn't take them out of the nest until they were nasty poopy, and I didn't wash them at all and put them in the 'bator, I didn't see any difference in hatches either. Babies hatched from the clean ones and the pooped up ones.

 

[RedneckChikns]

I wont wash an egg period. If its super poopy and icky...it goes to the crows or possums, not to the bator.

But Im a believer in mother nature knows what shes doing. Then again Im also a beliver in incubators incubate more than eggs...they breed germs too that can get right into the pore of your clean eggs. A little poopy smear incubator. Much more than that..Crow Foder!