I have a messy, messy hen brooding a small clutch of eggs who refuses to leave the nest to poop. This morning, all her eggs were coated in poop. How do I clean them? Is it necessary to clean them? I cleaned out her nest, and added fresh straw, but darn, this chicken is a pig!

Andrea

-- Andrea in Upstate NY (andreagee@aol.com), March 05, 2002

Answers

Dear Andrea:

Do not wash them. You are probably tempted, but this would be a huge mistake. If they are to dirty, get a little brush that you use to clean your nails and brush as much dirt off as you can.

If you are really a clean but, there is a special egg wash you can purchase at the hatcheries, but it's not just water and soap. If you use water and soap it creates bacteria that infiltrates the egg. The shell is thinner than you think.

In all seriousness, I do not think the poop will hurt the chicks at all. I would leave it be!

She

-- Sheila (glutz43@alltell.net), March 05, 2002.

Washing removes the egg’s natural protective cuticle or bloom, and using water that is not 10-20 degrees higher in temperature than the eggs temperature, can cause bacteria to enter the egg thought the 7- 17 thousand pores which are distributed over the egg shell (a larger number of the pores are at the large end of the egg) and contaminate it.

So, now you have clean eggs, but the eggs have lost their first line of defense (protective coating) against becoming contaminated, and upon a subsequent bacterial exposure the eggs are much more likely to become contaminated.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), March 05, 2002.

I read that you should remove the broody from her nest once a day around the same time so she can do her business and have a bite to eat. Apparently it is not that uncommon for some broodies to go a bit overboard and not want to leave the nest for anything so a little helping hand from you may do the trick. Have fun!

-- Kathy (homefarmbc@pacificcoast.net), March 06, 2002.