A microbiological survey of the incubated eggs of chickens and waterfowl

Synopsis Coliform organisms were the principal contaminants of rotten eggs from commercial duck hatcheries and incubated eggs of 45 species of waterfowl. Micrococci were the main contaminants of “incubator clears” obtained from a chicken hatchery. Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Bacillus spp were minor contaminants of the eggs of waterfowl. All the coliforms recovered from waterfowl eggs formed a large, well‐defined capsule when grown on nutrient agar containing glucose or lactose.