Chicks hatching with yolk sac not fully absorbed

I need some advice. This was my first try at incubating eggs. Yesterday was 21 days and 3 out of 28 eggs hatched - one has about a pea sized bubble of yolk sac sticking out and the other 2 appear normal. One egg pipped yesterday, but died in the shell without going any further. Today, one more egg pipped and this chick finally popped out of the shell and I noticed that it has about a 1/2 inch long piece of hold sack that appears worm like sticking out. Does anyone know whether this is happening due to the conditions within the incubator? I am trying to find out what I may have done wrong so that I can avoid this the next time. I candled my eggs and observed veins in many of the eggs, but am now surprised that so few actually hatched. I also wander i the chicks that have some of the yolk sack sticking out will die soon or if they have some chance to survive and be normal. I don't know if I should wait for nature to take its course or if it would be more humane to put them down???

they will usually absorb the yolk sack, most of the time with no further problems.

to me, it sounds like your incubator temp is just a tad low. if you haven't calibrated your thermometer, that could be your problem. even if its digital, most digital thermometers have a 3-4 degree (f) temp variance.

if the eggs were shipped, that could have affected them too.

if your new to hatching, try incubating your own (or local close to home) eggs. when you consistently get hatch rates at or above 80%, then start with shipped eggs.

if you answer some questions, i can help you along better.
what type of incubator, thermometer, hygrometer are you using- and is it still or forced air? were the eggs shipped, and what breed? were there any power outages? what temperature and humidity did you use and what where your turning practices?

what type of incubator, thermometer, hygrometer are you using - and is it still or forced air?
It is a Hovabator that I rented from the extension office with no fan and an automatic turner. I relied on the digital thermometer that came with the bator and it always read between 99 and 100 degrees temp and usually around 26% humidity. Since there were no instructions, I followed the a method that recommended not to add humidity until the first egg pipped, The eggs were mine + 8 I bought locally. My son also brought me 14 duck eggs from ducks where he lives. Since the ducks need the extra week, I moved the chicken eggs to a 2nd Hovabator when the first egg pipped (20 days). I kept them sitting pointed end down in styro egg cartons that I had cut the bottoms out of for circulation. I had 4 extra eggs that I layed on their side and one of those eggs was one of the successful hatches. The new bator was indicating 100 degrees with 80-88% humidity on a new digital thermometer/hygromoter combo that I purchased. To achieve the high humidity, I added water to the plastic pan in the bottom and a damp sponge with a towel on top to wick moisture...again according to the method that I had read. Most of the egges were a mixed breed from hens that I hatched with the help of a broody hen last summer. Some were a cross of Speckled Sussex & my mixed breed rooster and Austrolorp with my rooster. 6 of the eggs I purchased were Welsummer (2 of these were the successful hatches) The last chick with the issue was an olive egger that was a bonus egg with my Welsummer purchase. The first chick with a pea size sac came from an Austrolorp hen.

There were no power outages that I am aware and there were no temp spikes above 101 degrees. I will say that while saving the eggs, I kept them small end pointed down in the egg case in a cool basement, but did not learn that I should be turning them while they were waiting to go in the incubator until it was time to put them in it.

Thanks for attempting to help me ferret out what I may have done wrong. At this point, I am feeling like I should leave the hatching to others or my broody hens! : /


were the eggs shipped, and what breed? were there any power outages? what temperature and humidity did you use and what where your turning practices?

ok, im going to give instructions as its chickens, ducks are more humidity and more time. (im not an expert on duck eggs)

the 80% humidity is to high, even at the hatching stage it can drown chicks in the shell. i run mine around 45% allowing a dry out period of a couple of hours, down to 35% or so. at hatch i raise it to 50-60%. on the incubator you used for the chicken eggs, raise the temperature to 101 degrees measured at the top of the eggs.

if you didnt keep the eggs over a week before you put them in the incubator, you didnt mess them up much (if at all) by not turning them; given that they didnt get above 75 or so degrees (f) for any long period of time.

don't get discouraged by this, if it makes you feel better; on my first attempt i set a couple hundred eggs and had 6 hatch. several experienced hatchers had troubles with their first hatches. you will learn from mistakes, and will have hatches you thought were impossible.

something else that does help - if your using an automatic turner, open your incubator for 15 minutes a day. it will make the chicks stronger in the long run, and the oxygen does them good.

dont think of this as a science experiment, rather think of it as trying to duplicate nature. there are no constants, chicks are much more durable than most people will ever realize. more hatches are ruined by kindness instead of error.

Increase in humidity at hatching can suffocate the chick

I just wanted to give you the update that the chick with the pea sized sack is doing fine and that little sack shriveled and it appears to have separated from the chick's skin even though the dried little chunk is still caught in its feathers. The chick with the worm like extension is also doing well. I ended up clipping it a little shorter at a point where it appeared to be pinched together and the little piece that was left also shriveled up and is bearly hanging on to the chick's skin. So, I guess that minor unabsorbed yoke sacks are not fatal as long as they are not pecked at by the other chicks.

sounds like your doing well... best of luck on future hatchings. Im only a PM away if you need me.

Oh hey I had 2 chicks hatched all with like penny sized yokes that were not connected to the chicks just like there in the egg shell some had even a bit blood on the cord of the yolk but all my chicks lived and are still breathing they will be a month old soon
I just feed them after day 1 in case they needed enegery of the lack of yolk they absorbed
Why they don't absorb is because my temp was a degree high kicking them 30 minutes premature if they took a bit more time they would have absorbed all yolks

coolmind1999 said:

Oh hey I had 2 chicks hatched all with like penny sized yokes that were not connected to the chicks just like there in the egg shell some had even a bit blood on the cord of the yolk but all my chicks lived and are still breathing they will be a month old soon

I just feed them after day 1 in case they needed energy of the lack of yolk they absorbed
Why they don't absorb is because my temp was a degree high kicking them 30 minutes premature if they took a bit more time they would have absorbed all yolks

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im taking a stab in the dark here, but i dont think high temp was your problem. i wasn't there so obviously i couldnt monitor the hatch, but after hatching 10's of thousands of chicks i have never seen what you are talking about.

if you helped them out of the shell, it may have been just a touch early; but they survived so all is well.

to much humidity can cause them not to absorb, it is usually accompanied by a strange looking "mushy" stomach.

another thing i have seen cause it, it this might be your case; if the temp was running a half of a degree or so low, then during the last 3 days raised above 102 (guessing at temps here) it could have shocked them into hatching early (for their development). ill attempt to explain this better. when the incubation temp is low, the chicks still form; just a little slower. when the temp comes up it shocks them into ?thinking? they are ready to hatch. by their development they should hatch a day or so later, but the temp tricks them. i have seen this a couple of times when we have a power outage right before a hatch.

i do have a theory on another thing that may cause it, this is just by reading other people's posts and my own thoughts. eggs that aren't turned properly may not absorb their yolks just right. the yolk could stick and prevent it. and when you turn the eggs, they embryos exercise; it could be possible that they just didnt have the strength to draw it in properly and on time. i have almost always used automatic turners, im just going by a trend in reading.

Temp was 100.5 during all incubation and 100 in lock down humidity was 67 in lockdown no mushy tummys
I never helped the eggs even didnt open the bator during hatching! I was like there's loud chirping lets have a look .....OH WOW CHICKs
I turned the eggs 5 times a day at any odd time
Any new theory ? Cuz I really can't think of any reason for them not to absorb yolk