A person who breeds birds by raising them in an incubator may encounter some difficulties. Questions arise regarding the cleanliness of the eggs, and therefore, should they be washed before laying in the incubator? Or does it not matter?
Do I need to wash?
Many breeders argue about whether to get rid of the dirt on the eggs before placing them in an incubator. Some are sure that it is strictly forbidden to wash eggs, because because of this, the percentage of hatching is significantly reduced. Others, on the contrary, claim that nothing bad will happen from such a procedure. Therefore, each farmer decides for himself what to do in case of contamination of eggs.
It is believed that if the eggs are very dirty, if there is no desire to wash them, you can clean them with sandpaper before laying. Others use a knife to scrape away dirt, but this way the breeder runs the risk of damaging the shell. There is also a method of washing eggs in a formalin solution of 0.5% at a temperature of 27-32 degrees.
Eggs must be washed very carefully, initially putting them in a container with a net, immersing it in a solution, carefully turning it until the dirt is washed off. It is forbidden to wipe eggs - this can cause a violation of the protective shell of the eggs.
Egg Cleaning Methods
For those who decide for themselves to wash dirty eggs before laying them in an incubator, it is important to remember some cleaning rules. There are two ways to clean eggs:
Dry
This method requires the use of abrasive materials. Such cleaning is considered the best option if the eggs are not very dirty. But the risk of egg damage cannot be ruled out. This option not only takes a lot of time, but also weakens the cuticles. In addition, fine dust that forms during abrasion can settle in the pores of the egg - the pores are partially blocked, resulting in respiratory problems, especially towards the end of incubation.
Cleaning with disinfectants does not work well enough if the shell has been smeared with the contents of the broken eggs in the nest. When using abrasive materials after cleaning the dirt, periodically dip the eggs in water with bleach. It is also very important to give them time to dry completely.
Wet
This method of cleaning is a bit more complicated, as many owners of incubators had to deal with negative aspects during such a procedure. With improper wet cleaning, many problems can arise than those due to which it is carried out. The main issue is that dirty eggs are covered with bacteria that cannot penetrate the shell while it is dry. When the shell is moistened, it is much easier for bacteria to penetrate through it.
Before incubation, dirty eggs can be cleaned with disinfectant solutions, for example, Brovadez-plus, etc. The concentrate is diluted in accordance with the instructions. It is important to take into account that the eggs are washed in a solution that must have a temperature higher than the egg itself, because otherwise dirty water can penetrate the pores into the eggs. It is best if the temperature of the solution is 41 degrees, after which it is necessary to leave the eggs to dry on a clean surface.
Be sure to clean the hands after the procedure.
Based on scientific data, we can say that if you first clean the dirt and treat the eggs with antiseptics, you can significantly increase the percentage of hatchability.
Do not wash eggs under running water or clean it from dirt with a sharp knife, this will harm not only the shell, but also the insides of the egg.
Exposure to pollution
A lot of factors affect the degree of contamination of eggs, but the main one is the type of poultry content (floor or cage), the stability of the equipment on the farm, and the health of the birds. For the production of incubating eggs of waterfowl, the problem of shell contamination is even more relevant.
If you lay very contaminated eggs in the incubator, this is fraught with a decrease in the percentage of hatching. It is also possible that this will lead to the fact that the eggs will be with embryos, which already have some developmental abnormalities. In addition, the losses from contaminated eggs for incubation will be much larger, because their price is much higher than the cost of chicken eggs.
How to get a good result after washing?
The optimal shelf life of washed hatching eggs is 24 hours. This is due to the fact that due to imperfect technical conditions and subjective and objective reasons, the use of such a washing process does not always allow 100% to disinfect all hatching eggs. And with longer storage, even at low temperatures in the repository, microflora can multiply not only on the surface, but also inside the egg.
If you had to wash a lot of hatching eggs, laying should be done exclusively in separate cabinets, and with a minimum quantity, in trays located below. This will reduce the risk of infection with cuffs for other materials for incubation. Tumak is a rotten spoiled egg, and if it bursts, there is a risk of infection in up to 140 neighboring eggs.
Many poultry farmers are required to audit cuffs. This is important to do at the time of transfer of eggs to the conclusion. If many cuffs are found, an audit is also carried out during the combined cooling of the eggs.
Washing or not washing the eggs before laying in the incubator is everyone's business. Someone considers it unacceptable to lay eggs on the shell of which there are feathers, dirt and other defects. Others calmly relate to contaminated eggs, being sure that this will not affect the hatchability of the chicks.