Stop washing your eggs before you put them in the fridge

I used to rinse every egg the second I picked it up from the coop, thought it was the clean thing to do. Then my hatch rate dropped to like 40% and I couldn't figure out why. Turns out eggs have a natural bloom that seals the shell, and washing strips it off. Now I just brush off dirt with a dry cloth and leave them unwashed until right before I cook with them. Anyone else make this mistake when they first started keeping hens?

3 comments

3 Comments

verab281mo ago

Dry brushing plus a little patience made a huge difference for me too.

thomas_young1mo agoMost Upvoted

Dry brushing changed everything for my hatch rates too.

spencer_johnson221mo agoMost Upvoted

Question whether it's really that game changing though. I tried dry brushing for a few weeks and honestly didn't see much difference compared to just checking humidity and temp regularly. Maybe it helps some folks but I'd say it's not some miracle fix for everyone.