Day-old Deaths: How to Stop?

[Isaac T Brown]

Today I had a chick hatch in from my broody Aracauna, Lady. It was her 3rd surviving chick and I had our hopes high. An hour later it died. It was a white normal looking chick not fluffy yet, but out of the egg. I knew it was alive at first because it had been peeping. The mother seemed to be ignoring it, but was sitting on it. It was my third day-old death that week. It has been about 40 days now, are they late come chicks or what? Should I toss the remaining 8 or so eggs? Another hen stole the nest tonight; it was the same who had two chicks a few months ago and lost one recently. Is it possible that more will hatch or not?

 

[thehackleguy]

40 days since the eggs were set? Day old chicks should be 100% fine under the hen unless they are weak at hatching or the hen is not a good mother. If you have eggs under the hen that are 40 days old they need to be tossed, they are WAY over baked.

 

[Isaac T Brown]

But how long is the normal wait time?

 

[abserbean]

Eggs should hatch in 19-23 days, usually day 20 or 21. If those eggs have been there 40 days, they are rotten. The one that hatched may have been laid by someone sneaking into her nest, and was a normal 21 day egg. They are probably dying from bacterial infections in the umbilical area, most likely caused by a nest full of rotten eggs! Get rid of all of them in the nest, clean the nest area out. If your broody is still determined to set after 40 days, you could try again, but I would be worried about her health at this point as well.

 

[thehackleguy]

Chicken eggs hatch in 21 days +/- a day or two. Usually under a hen they hatch pretty much right on 21 days. Personally I toss everything if it does not hatch in about 25 days.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

The normal incubation period is 21 days. I have had some hatch as early at day 18 and heard them hatch as late as day 25. What probably happened is another hen laid an egg with the broody's clutch 21 days ago. I take a sharpie and mark the eggs under my brood'y so that I am certain how many eggs they have and can remove the newer eggs.

As for the deaths it sounds like you have a nutrition issue. What are you feeding your hens and how much? You might add some calcium like oyster shell (you can get at any place that sells chicken feed).

I would try to break your broody, 40 days is a long time to sit with only bits of food and water. Many people use wire cages elevated so that air can flow under her to decrease her temp. After a few weeks with increased nutrition she may decide to go broody again and hopefully have a successful hatch.

 

[Isaac T Brown]

The normal incubation period is 21 days. I have had some hatch as early at day 18 and heard them hatch as late as day 25. What probably happened is another hen laid an egg with the broody's clutch 21 days ago. I take a sharpie and mark the eggs under my brood'y so that I am certain how many eggs they have and can remove the newer eggs.

As for the deaths it sounds like you have a nutrition issue. What are you feeding your hens and how much? You might add some calcium like oyster shell (you can get at any place that sells chicken feed).

I would try to break your broody, 40 days is a long time to sit with only bits of food and water. Many people use wire cages elevated so that air can flow under her to decrease her temp. After a few weeks with increased nutrition she may decide to go broody again and hopefully have a successful hatch.

I thought Sharpies could hurt the chicks.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

I thought Sharpies could hurt the chicks.

I was leary at first too, but I trust the experts here on BYC

. The bloom (protective coating around the egg) protects the developing embryo. As long as you never wash hatching eggs, even if their is a bit of poo on them, they will be fine.

 

[DaveOmak]

Below is a list of Nutrients your hens and roosters could be deficient.... and what happens when they are.....
Appears they may need an improved diet.....


TABLE 7-2 Signs of Deficiency in the Embryo
Nutrients

Deficiency Signs

References
Vitamin A

Death at about 48 hours of incubation from failure to develop the circulatory system; abnormalities of kidneys, eyes, and skeleton.

Asmundson and Kratzer, 1952; Thompson et al., 1965; Heine et al., 1985
Vitamin D

Death at about 18 or 19 days of incubation, with malpositions, soft bones, and with a defective upper mandible prominent.

Sunde et al., 1978; Narbaitz and Tsang, 1989
Vitamin E

Early death at about 84 to 96 hours of incubation, with hemorrhaging and circulatory failure (implicated with selenium).

Card et al., 1930; Latshaw and Osman, 1974
Vitamin K

No physical deformities from a simple deficiency, nor can they be provoked by antivitamins, but mortality occurs between 18 days and hatching, with variable hemorrhaging.

Griminger, 1964; Hauschka and Reid, 1978a
Thiamin

High embryonic mortality during emergence but no obvious symptoms other than polyneuritis in those that survive.

Polin et al., 1962; Charles et al., 1972
Riboflavin

Mortality peaks at 60 hours, 14 days, and 20 days of incubation, with peaks prominent early as deficiency becomes severe. Altered limb and mandible development, dwarfism, and clubbing of down are defects expressed by embryo.

Romanoff and Bauernfeind, 1942; Landauer, 1967
Niacin

Embryo readily synthesizes sufficient niacin from tryptophan. Various bone and beak malformations occur when certain antagonists are administered during incubation.

Snell and Quarles, 1941; Landauer, 1956; Caplan, 1972
Biotin

High death rate at 19 to 21 days of incubation, and embryos have parrot beak, chondrodystrophy, several skeletal deformities, and webbing between the toes.

Cravens et al., 1994; Couch et al., 1947
Pantothenic acid

Deaths appear around 14 days of incubation, although marginal levels may delay problems until emergence. Variable subcutaneous hemorrhaging and edema; wirey down in poults.

Kratzer et al., 1955; Beer et al., 1963
Pyridoxine

Early embryonic mortality based on antivitamin use.

Landauer, 1967
Folic acid

Mortality at about 20 days of incubation. The dead generally appear normal, but many have bent tibiotarsus, syndactyly, and mandible malformations. In poults, mortality at 26 to 28 days of incubation with abnormalities of extremities and circulatory system.

Sunde et al., 1950a; Kratzer et al., 1956a
Vitamin B12

Mortality at about 20 days of incubation, with atrophy of legs, edema, hemorrhaging, fatty organs, and head between thighs malposition.

Olcese et al., 1950; Ferguson et al., 1955
Manganese

Peak deaths prior to emergence. Chondrodystrophy, dwarfism, long bone shortening, head malformations, edema, and abnormal feathering are prominent.

Lyons and Insko, 1937
Zinc

Deaths prior to emergence, and the appearance of rumplessness, depletion of vertebral column, eyes underdeveloped, and missing limbs.

Kienholz et al., 1961; Turk, 1965
Copper

Deaths at early blood stage with no malformations.

Bird et al., 1963
Iodine

Prolongation of hatching time, reduced thyroid size, and incomplete abdominal closure.

Rogler et al., 1959a, b
Iron

Low hematocrit; low blood hemoglobin; poor extra-embryonic circulation in candled eggs.

Dewar et al., 1974; Morck and Austic, 1981
Selenium

High incidence of dead embryos early in incubation.

Latshaw et al., 1977

 

[AmericanMom]

I thought Sharpies could hurt the chicks.

I not only mark eggs under a broody with a sharpie (this way I know which ones are hers and which ones hens might lay to add to the clutch) I also mark eggs in the incubator with a sharpie... I am in the hatching process now with incubator chicks and expect eggs hatching under my broody today or tomorrow and to date have never lost a chick to sharpie sickness, I have hens out in the coop that were hatched in the incubator and they are laying normal eggs that we eat and incubate..

The sharpie theory is bunk.