Deformed Chick and Chicks At The Wrong End Of The Egg/Wondering Why

[Patchesnposies]

Good Morning Fellow Chicken Folk,

Yesterday I hatched out 7 little Silver Spangled Hamburgs (My little daughter keeps calling them "Star Spangled Hamburgs") who are as lively and healthy as can be. (Thanks, Peckndirt!)

This as out of 14 eggs. 4 did not develop at all, 7 hatched right on time, and of the last three there was a late quitter, and 2 that had developed with their heads in the small enbd of the egg.

One was trying to pip as I could hear it tapping away but died, I am sure, due to a lack of room to maneuver. The other one I decided to try and help after waiting and waiting and it was totally deformed. No eyes, a little spur of an upper beak and its head looked really small, so I am thinking it may have been anencephalic as well.

My first question is about the chicks developing upside down. Is there a reason for this? Like, did I need to let them settle for a longer time before putting them into the incubator? Or were the eggs too small? Did I not turn them enough?

And, then the deformity? Does this just happen sometimes? Or could it have been the package was x-rayed?

Each time I set a batch of eggs I feel like I am taking another college course....each one is an education in and of itself.

Thanks, to anyone who is willing to share their thoughts on either of these subjects.

 

[Chickie Mamma]

Hello, I have had chicks form and die at the wrong end of the egg. Luckily I have had no deformities, but it happens. For shipped eggs 50% is a pretty good hatch rate. My last hatch out of 16 eggs, only 4 hatched. The ones that quit or do not hatch, I believe are not strong enough to survive. Enjoy the 7 babies, they grow up fast!!

 

[Chick-a-roo Girl]

Try lowering the humidity on the next batch. If your just hatching chicks, you can actually let the pan dry completely out a few times. Whenever I get the humidity over 50% I have more crippled and dead in shell chicks. Presumably they grow faster when the moisture is high and get too big to move around in their shells. So I just water them once in a while, letting humidity get all the way down to 20 - 30% most of the time. Then, bring it up to 50% or so after pipping.

 

[Patchesnposies]

Chick-a-roo Girl, thanks for the advice. I've thought that perhaps it was a humidity problem. I live in the desert southwest and it is dry, dry, dry here. I have tried a lot of different ways to incubate and hatch out eggs by varying the humidity and had varying degrees of success.

When I incubate Serama eggs, I have a slightly higher humidity during the whole process, upping it a bit at the end during hatch. I cracked the code for incubating them and have had very good results, even with shipped eggs.

With these SSH's I had 40% to 55% humidity and raised it to 65% 75% humidity the last 3 days. I have had a lot of trouble with sticky chicks because it is so dry here.

I am not sure what you meant by if I am only hatching them. I am incubating these shipped eggs.

If you could be clearer on what you think I am doing wrong (or right) I would appreciate it!

Thanks again!

 

[Chick-a-roo Girl]

I mean if you are just hatching chicks, as opposed to guineas, turkeys...You can dry hatch chicks with good results, but some species need higher humidity. I think that may be why manufacturer directions with incubators say 50%, because that falls somewhere in between requirements for most birds species. I use dry hatching always now for chicks, but I am in Georgia and the humidity in the house is around 35% anyway.

Jeanne