The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: loopy on July 16, 2010, 04:58:43 pm

Title: hatching eggs - should i clean them??
Post by: loopy on July 16, 2010, 04:58:43 pm

we put some eggs under a broody last night, and she settled on them happily.  I've been out to work today, just got back and thought i'd check on her and she has either accidentally broken one of the eggs or has eaten it - there are remnants of the shell and its contents, but not much at all left.  She has a bowl of water and feed in with her, and i turfed her off the eggs first thing so that she could eat and drink so not sure whether the breakage was accidental or not...but problem is, the contents of the egg have spilt onto some of the other eggs.  I'm worried that this could lead to infection and stop the other eggs from developing/hatching - so should i clean the affected eggs or what?  Any suggestions from experienced hatchers would be appreciated!

thanks L

Title: Re: hatching eggs - should i clean them??
Post by: Castle Farm on July 16, 2010, 10:06:33 pm

Bit of a dilemma here. If the eggs were not cleaned but clean you have not taken the bloom which is the eggs protection.
Egg yoke will contaminate the shell and once warmed up it is likely to 'breed germs' but if you clean it off you may push the germs through into the egg as cleaning it damages the bloom.

I'd risk it as it is as long as the eggs don't stick to the hen,

Make sure the hen is clean on her brood patch.

Title: Re: hatching eggs - should i clean them??
Post by: loopy on July 17, 2010, 03:29:54 pm

slightly confused castle farm, do you mean you'd risk cleaning the eggs, or do you mean as long as the eggs aren't stuck to the broody, you'd risk leaving them as they are and NOT cleaning them??  I didn't clean them before, so unless the person i bought them off cleaned them, the bloom should have been on them, and given who i bought them from, i doubt he did clean them (hubbard eggs :) )