Why dont we wash the eggs???

[billiejo21]

One thing I have learned from this site is...EVERYBODY does EVERYTHING differently...and everyone is equally passionate about what they do! I think that's WONDERFUL!!! I love to read about what works best for others and what people have tried in the past. I think incubating (raising animals in general) is a very personal experience. Most of us do it because we love it...and our passion comes through in responses to others questions! I dipped my first batch of eggs I ever set because they were porous and dirty...I used the warm water and bleach method, I had about a 50% hatch rate with shipped eggs. I've set eggs without washing and have found a similar hatch rate...so I think it's more about learning what works for you!!! Good luck with your hatches!!!

 

[Sylviaanne]

Haha. That's funny, cause I don't usually bother to wash the ones I'm going to eat.

My washing procedure is as follows:

I get my kitchen tap running till the water's nice and hot. Hot enough that it hurts on my bare skin - I always wear rubber gloves so I don't burn myself! I get a one litre ice cream tub and squirt some plain household bleach in it - I don't use any specific amount or concentration, just a good sized squirt - then fill the rest of the tub with hot water and also leave the tap running. If eggs have visible dirt and/or poo crusts, I rinse them off under the tap first before bleaching them, just so the tub of water stays clean for longer. If they look clean, they just go straight into the bleach solution. These ones I usually just dip once or twice, swirl them about a bit, then rinse them off thoroughly under the hot running water. But if they're filthy or if the shells are badly stained, I'll plop them in the hot bleach and let them sit for 30 seconds or so, then give them a good scrub all over with a kitchen scourer that's also been dipped in the bleach. Then I rinse under the tap. I try not to leave them in the water for too long, but a minute or two doesn't seem to do them any harm. It takes a lot longer than that for any heat to reach the inside of the egg and the delicate blastoderm or blastocyte (whatever!) that is the tiny collection of cells that will transform into a chick.

When I rinse them off, I place them on fresh kitchen towel, and either let them dry on their own (if I've got lots of eggs to wash) or get some more kitchen towel and dry them off myself (if I'm only washing a couple of eggs). Once I've washed them, I don't touch them again with my bare skin. I either keep the rubber gloves on or I handle them by using a bit of clean kitchen towel. Don't want any bacteria or grease from my hands getting on them after I've spent my time washing them! If I'm saving up my own eggs, I wash them as soon as I've collected them and store them in a brand new egg carton. If I'm using shipped eggs, I wash them all at once, place them in the incubator and switch it on immediately, but don't switch the turner on for the first day to give them a chance to settle after the shipping.

Then when I candle them on days 6, 12 and 18, I scrub off my hands and arms with antibacterial soap before touching them.

This isn't any carefully thought out and measured procedure, it's just how I do it and how it works for me.

I was looking up another post you made and can't find it but found this one. I have filthy guinea eggs in one of my incubators and mostly clean eggs in the other. When the guinea eggs hatch I was going to experiment with washing some eggs and seeing if they hatch. I was only planning on using warm water, dish soap (if needed), a sponge and my finger nails. If you are using bleach, doesn't that remove germs, bacteria and the oils from your skin? I know hot water removes oils from your skin.

How was your hatch rate before you started washing the eggs? Is it better now or about the same? Thanks, Sylvia

 

[Sylviaanne]

Its amazing at the different ways to do things ...I am no expert at incubating eggs by a long shot and i have learned alot of very valuable information on here i have also learned that no matter what question is asked there will always be different answers and knowing which is right and which is not is a crap shoot.. So i take all the different answers and try each oneto see what works for ME, I hardly ever respond to anything on here for that very reason That no matter what response i give someone will give something different and its very confusing to someone with little experience as i know cause i one of those ..lol...As for washing eggs i dont have a clue whats best.I do however clean mine i dont per say wash them like i would a load of laundry what i do is mix a spray bottle with warm water and oxine and lightly spray them in a egg tray and then give them a minute or so for the mist to loosen the crud on them and take a soft cotton cloth and gently wipe the crud off . thats my way and it works for ME Im a believer in Oxine as an antibacterial . i also put a drop or two in my water pan to help keep the bacteria down in the bator ... so now i have posted and i dont have a clue why i did as im sure there will be different answers as there already have been.. but i wish you good luck in trying to decide whats rights and whats wrong...

Perhaps the reason you posted was for someone like me to come along and read it and want to try the Oxine also. LOL Sylvia