Poop Soiled Eggs

Should You Wash Poop Soiled Eggs?

On occasion, eggs become soiled after laying. I try to minimize the chance of soiling by removing the eggs promptly at 8 am every morning until she lays her last egg and I set her. I also make sure that the nest is lower than the perch. Birds naturally like to perch on the highest level and if that is the nest they will perch on it and soil the eggs. But alas, it happens!

Question: What should you do with soiled eggs? Should you wash them? If you wash them will they hatch? Can soiled eggs hatch?

As tempting as it is to wash poop soiled eggs, it will stop them from hatching. But if you let the hen incubate them and they are fertile, they can hatch. In the egg picture, the two soiled eggs were fertile and the unsoiled one was infertile. (She also threw an infertile egg out of the nest during the incubation period.)

The top picture shows the most soiled egg hatching yesterday which was the 13th day of incubation and the other soiled egg hatched this morning.

Today's Lesson: Try to prevent egg soiling, but if it happens, just let them be and take your chances!!