INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[LocalYokel]

Y

 

[kwhites634]

Y

Z

 

[LocalYokel]

Its gunna be fine @chicknlove

 

[LocalYokel]

Z

 

[shahtir101]

Its gunna be fine @chicknlove

X2

 

[lozerface79]

Im getting owned again xD

 

[lozerface79]

Its gunna be fine @chicknlove

X3

 

[LocalYokel]

Im getting owned again xD

By whom?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

OK, eggtopsy is complete. Note that this is the only chick with problems that WASN'T from one of Jenny's eggs (it was Lissa's). Jenny has ocular Marek's disease and while she lays frequently/consistently and lays large blue eggs, her eggs are somewhat round-ish eggs that many would advise not setting. Also note that these eggs were incubated horizontally (see below for thoughts on R-Com egg turning). Photos below (I tried to do a spoiler, but couldn't figure out how to insert photos in that - sorry). But in summary:

1) Air cell development was actually not as bad as I thought, though still smaller than it should have been, and there was decent draw down. The problem was that the chick, pipped on the side opposite from the air cell. This makes me wonder if the air cells perhaps had developed more than I realized in the others as well, though they were still malpositioned - or perhaps I should have candled those eggs again later on day 18 to look for draw down (though that might not have changed anything). In the photos, you can see the air cell extending well below what I marked as visible on day 18, though draw down was still on the side where I had predicted pip.

2) This was what is referred to on thepoultrysite.com as Malposition 4 - Beak away from air cell. "The incidence of this position is five times greater in eggs incubated horizontally than large end up and is thought to be nearly always lethal...". I suppose that makes me feel better, that there was probably nothing I could do.

3) Being a pathologist, of course I wanted to find the proximate cause of death. I noted that there was some pooled hemorrhage of the CAM vessels - perhaps caused by the pipping? I'm not sure it was enough blood to cause death, though. I wonder why this position is so lethal...

3) It was a girl. (This upset me more than I expected - I wanted a girl from Lissa. I think I only got boys from her, though I will double check tomorrow when the chicks wake up.)

Also, in reading more about malpositions, the other eggs that I struggled with were Malposition 2: Head in small end of egg. "This position is commonly seen in eggs that have been incubated upside down and is also more prevalent in eggs that have been incubated horizontally compared to eggs incubated with their large ends uppermost. The position can occur in eggs that have been incubated the right way up (especially those eggs with a rounder shape), eggs which have been exposed to high temperatures in the setters or when the angle of turning is too small. The frequency of this malposition is heavily influenced by the percentage of eggs that are set upside down. Ideally, the frequency of this malposition should be less than 10 per cent of total malpositioned embryos."

Perhaps there are issues with the rolling-type egg turning that occurs in the R-com (though my round eggs may be part of the problem). I believe that I may use the R-com just as a hatcher from now on (realizing that I will have to use sponges, etc., to ensure humidity).

Photos (I labeled some of them):













While next time I incubate (especially Cream Legbars), I will listen to Ms. Sally re: higher temp and lower humidity, I believe that my issues were also related to egg shape and potentially the type of horizontal turning in the R-Com.

@Sally Sunshine

- Ant Farm

WELL done

And this is why I am wondering how the machine would actually work tilted just a few degrees so that all eggs in the same direction had a pointed end tilt as well as turning horizontal???

 

[lozerface79]

By whom?

By whites. He didnt take the bait