Disinfecting hatching eggs plays an important role in hygiene management of farms and hatcheries. After being laid, an egg is constantly exposed to contaminants. It is crucial to destroy microorganisms while they are still on the egg shell because once microorganisms penetrate the shell, they reach the membrane within minutes and are immune to a disinfectant.

The goal of disinfecting hatching eggs is to reduce the entrance of pathogens into the hatchery and to minimize embryonic mortality, weak chicks, high chick mortality and poor chick growth. 

Hatching Egg Disinfection Methods

Fumigating and cold fogging are effective and widely used for hatching egg disinfection. These are preferred methods because eggs don’t get wet and the protocols can be fully automated. 
Extensive field research from CID LINES, an Ecolab company, shows that the relation between the droplet size of the vapor (fog), the contact angle (wettability) and the type and concentration of the chemicals used have a huge impact on the success of the disinfection results. 

Before Setting

The most effective method to treat hatching eggs is to disinfect as soon as eggs are collected from the nest and before microorganisms penetrate the shell. 

Disinfecting hatching eggs with an efficient product reduces the number of microorganisms on the shell surface. For optimal results, the disinfection process should be automated from start to finish; this guarantees control of product consumption, air extraction time and personnel safety.

During Incubation

After the hatching eggs are set, they are ready for the final stage of the hatching process. To support the hygienic circumstances in which the chicks are going to hatch, the hatcher can be disinfected with a solution. Field trials have shown a lower mortality during the first week of the chicks lives when hatcher disinfection was being applied with one of our disinfection solutions.