Dove eggtopsy

[solidstate]

I’ve been struggling with poor hatchability with my two pair of Diamond doves. Usually the eggs die in the last two days of incubation. I break out all dead eggs to check what stage they are.

I tossed the latest two eggs right into the incubator after they were laid, to see if we’re looking at a brooding problem. I was hopeful, but unfortunately they both quit on day 11-13 (incubation takes 14 days). Last night they were moving and alive and this morning definitely dead. One was malpositioned, and had broken a vessel and bled out. The other seemed normal, it had rotated to hatch position, and then just didn’t internally pip. Both had yolks unabsorbed still. I had kept temp stable at 99.5F and kept humidity around 50% (I usually dry hatch my button eggs, but I believe I’ve heard that doves need 45-55% humidity).

We tested for disease via university lab, and the parents are negative for salmonella and other enteric infections, I’ve taken them to the vet, who recommended switching to pellets instead of seed (not going well, they’re very picky) and I recently added a full spectrum uvb light. Originally I asked on pigeon/dove boards, but no one had any ideas that have made a difference. It’s not canker/trichomoniasis, I treated just in case months ago, and we’ve also treated for E. coli and other bacterial infections. They’ve been on a 28 day course of doxy and a 14 day course of amoxicillin in the past attempting to fix what was going on.

Diet is a finch mix with an attempt at adding roudybush breeder pellets, greens are offered but usually ignored, and vitamins given twice a week to fortify the D3/other deficiencies of a seed diet. They get free choice mineral grit and cuttlebone for calcium. I offer egg food twice a week but it also is ignored.

Light is on for 10 hrs a day, at the appropriate distance (AvianSun bulbs).

I’m just hoping to get some insight into what may cause this in other species (I have never had this problem with my button quail). At this point I would call it genetic, but for two separate pairs to have the issues just seems so unlikely. The hens are probably siblings, but the cocks are completely unrelated. Could this still be related to nutritional deficiency? Disease?

I have a new pair of proven birds ready to pick up that I am getting today, so maybe in a few weeks we’ll see if anything is different with their eggs.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Looks like it maybe Mushy Chick Disease. It's a bacterial infection of the yolk sac. It happens when there's contamination in the incubator, & it gets through the eggs pores infecting the developing chicks. They either die before hatching(in shell), or right after, & often with an unabsorbed yolk sac that's often green in color.

 

[solidstate]

Looks like it maybe Mushy Chick Disease. It's a bacterial infection of the yolk sac. It happens when there's contamination in the incubator, & it gets through the eggs pores infecting the developing chicks. They either die before hatching(in shell), or right after, & often with an unabsorbed yolk sac that's often green in color.

Thank you, that could be. I will clean and disinfect the incubator, for sure. I do disinfect the nest bowl between clutches so idk how they die in shell in there, but I’m going to use a different nesting material to see if that makes a difference for the next clutch I let them sit on.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Thank you, that could be. I will clean and disinfect the incubator, for sure. I do disinfect the nest bowl between clutches so idk how they die in shell in there, but I’m going to use a different nesting material to see if that makes a difference for the next clutch I let them sit on.

You're welcome.
I've had this happen with chicken chicks a couple times. So it's probably what's going on with your doves.

 

[solidstate]

Well it has been a little while, and I let them incubate another clutch over the last couple of weeks. Two eggs laid one day apart, and she started sitting the day the second was laid. One egg quit in the first couple days, just had a blood ring, and the other quit after getting into hatch position and never pipped internally. I did a breakout analysis on hatch day when the parents started getting antsy and leaving the nest. The bones and beak seemed kind of soft for an embryo at this stage. Some green discoloration of the yolk. Some red discoloration of the hocks as well. My new proven pair of birds are sitting on one egg that is due to hatch Feb 25th, I'm curious as to whether that will be a success.