Deformed at hatch CAUTION graphic images.

[hoofpawclawacre]

I want to post these I bought these eggs from someone

I received 16 blue copper marans, Of the 16: four were liquid or not viable due to shipping or who knows. seven had severe deformities beaks crossed so badly they look like someone broke them, brains sticking out of the skull, missing skull, no eyeballs and no eye socket.

I contacted the seller stating that I am not looking for a refund or more eggs just hope this will help her with the breeding program. The seller told me my incubator must have spiked a temperature and that causes visual and hearing defects.

It is my understanding that visual loss and hearing loss can be due to temperature spikes. These chicks did not have sight or hearing loss they were missing body parts. From what I have read this is genetic.

I cried and got sick through the hatch today. When I hit chick number four with the deformities I got out the camera. There are two chicks living that have severely narrow heads and I am certain they will die. I cannot cull any more and my husband is out of town till late tonight.


It is hard to see the missing eye sockets, eye balls.

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC!​

From: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm095

Deformities

In any animal population during embryonic development, there is a predictable incidence of embryos that die or are not able to hatch due to deformities. Based on this comprehensive investigation, data demonstrated that the percent of deformed embryos ranged from 0.22 to 0.30% of the total hatch. These findings suggest that hatchability declines on the average of 0.25% due to malformed chicks. A combination of deformities and malpositions can be manifested simultaneously. Table 2 shows the incidence of common deformities observed from embryos at 15 to 21 days of incubation. The most common deformities are those of exposed brain (29%), without eye(s) (25%) and with beak abnormalities (+/-35%).

Table 2.
Incidence of common deformities
Deformity

Description

%
1

Exposed Brain

29
2

Without eye(s)

25
3

4 legs

10
4

Deformed beak

27
5

No upper beak

8
6

Deformed twisted leg

1

More interesting links:
https://www.google.com/search?sourc...41l3.0.0.0.4451...........0.5BydcxtXuLc&pbx=1

 

[hoofpawclawacre]

Haunted55, Thank you for your response. Even though I hatched my own healthy chicks in the incubator with these malformed chicks I still feel terribly guilty. I still question myself what did I do wrong? Then I tell myself your own eggs hatched okay this go around.

One might think that someone who is hatching eggs for the first time or second time or maybe has children involved may not open the eggs that are not hatching. But I want to know what happened to the ones that were peeping in the shell for 2 days and did not pip scared me. I open every egg placed in incubator to figure out why a fertile egg did not hatch.

The chicks with the most severe deformities never could have hatched out on their own. They would have just died in the egg. Having the heart to open the eggs is not fun in any way. It is so hard when you are hoping for life to deal with death.

I suppose if you are hatching thousands you do not have time to be emotional. My husband asks, "Is it worth all of this to save money by purchasing hatching eggs? Why don't you just buy chicks?"

I am going to buy chicks from now on. I will continue to hatch my farm raised eggs.

We purchased about 180 hatching eggs that were all mailed to me from different regions in the US.and have enjoyed great success up till now. Although I have not hatched thousands my discipline and carefulness shows me that no incubation is perfect. My expectations are fair.

My lesson is to be open to feedback and if I ever sell hatching eggs to treat my buyer with the respect deserved.

 

[Haunted55]

Don't feel guilty, if I am correct, this happened in the mother, not having the right amount of vitamins to produce a healthy embryo. You can't fix that. Look at it this way. Your experience will help someone else. Sometimes, at the end of the day, that's all we have and it has to be enough.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i am sorry you went through this, it could of been any one of us. its not your fault that some people just want the money and really dont care what their selling . she wasnt being mad she was being defensive sounds like to me. in some situations theres just nothing you can do. dont let what she says to you upset you. it is a shame you had to see all that but, it brings an awareness to us all that may have not of been there otherwise. so I for one say thank you.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

All of us should think twice about buying eggs, and not just because of problems like this, but also because of diseases like mycoplasma which can be transmitted from hen to egg!

-Kathy

This is so true.

People should be advertising in their hatching egg ads whether they are mycoplasma free as far as they know. Of course something can pop up all of a sudden but you know what I mean.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i am so sorry you have to go through this. i have never seen anything like it before. i have messed up plenty with my bator and nothing like this ever came out. what a shame. IF, people are breeding and inbreeding just to make a buck with no regards to the outcome they should be announced and put out of business.

 

[TheChips]

i agree with Granni Hatchet and I am so sorry you have to go through this. I hope someone here can give you some amazing advice. If it does end up being something horrible on the breeders side, I would report them immediately.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Oh I am so sorry for the babies, so sorry for you too- that you both had to endure that.

I hope they didn't suffer.

 

[hoofpawclawacre]

Thank you for the awesome information from your link this quote: "Normally, loss of about 1.8% of total hatch due to malpositions and deformities can be anticipated. However, if this is elevated, necessary corrective measures must be taken. The importance of a routine embryo diagnosis program can not be overstated."

Out of 16 eggs 7 had severe defects: brain protruding the skull, beaks severely crossed, missing eyeballs and missing eye sockets. All of the chicks that lived: only one could stand after 24 hours most of them could only lay and kick. I had hoped that they would gain strength and we could "save" them. My husband returned home from his trip and he culled them all. I had purchased these to add diversity in breeding. This is not the diversity I hoped for.

If only one chick out of the hatch could walk my from seller's eggs the percentage of incidence is much higher in my hatch. If the incidence would havebeen only one chick I would not have said a thing to the seller as I understand the risks, and success rates especially when eggs are shipped in the mail.

With the 16 eggs I purchased I also had 14 of my own Ameraucana eggs that hatched 13 healthy chicks from the same 21 days in the same shared incubator.

This is my worst experience so far. The saddest part of this is once I contacted the seller stating I was not looking for a refund or replacement just wanted to let her know that there may be a problem seller accused me of a bad incubator that "spiked high temps" . Seller stated that their eggs are good & has hatched thousands of chicks. Seller stated that it is my fault.

I guess if some of my Ameraucana's hatched with some of the defects that the seller's chicks had I would agree as they spent the same days in the incubator.

I live with my incubator or my incubator lives with me and check it 20 times a day actually I check it more than that. I peek at it all the time the digital readout on incubator, the two individual thermometer/hygrometers in the unit. I am into saving chicks not culling, this was painful.

Thank you kindly for your posts and comments.