Inubation Troubleshooting Checklist

[Habibs Hens]

I decided to add this here as a reference

Please take this as reference to help answer a few questions you may have

maybe a sticky could be good for it

Problem & Possible Causes


Chicks hatch late
• Large eggs
• Old breeders
• Eggs stored for too long
• Incubator temperature too low
• Weak embryos
• Inbreeding
• Incubator humidity too high

Slow (drawn-out) hatch
• Mix of eggs (different sizes, different aged breeders,
storage times)
• Poor egg handling
• Hot or cold spots in incubator
• Incubator or Hatcher temperature too high or low

Sticky Chicks, smeared with albumen
• Low incubation temperature
• High incubation humidity
• Poor turning
• Old eggs
• Very large eggs

Chicks stuck in shell, dry,
• Low humidity in storage

shell fragment stuck to feathers
• Poor egg turning
• Cracked shell or Poor shell quality

Premature hatching, bloody navels
• Temperature too high

Small chicks
• Small eggs
• Low humidity
• High temperature
• High altitude​

• Thin, porous shells

Unhealed naval, dry,
• High incubator temperature, or temperature fluctuations


rough down feathers
• Humidity too high when hatching
• Inadequate nutrition

Weak Chicks
• High hatching temperature
• Poor Hatcher ventilation
• Contamination

Chicks malpositioned
• Eggs sat small end up position
• Inadequate turning
• Excessive turning at late stages
• Too high or too low temperature
• High humidity
• Old breeders
• Round shaped eggs
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Retarded development
• Poor egg handling or storage conditions

Malformations
• Poor storage conditions
• Jarring of eggs
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Inadequate turning
• High or low temperature
• Inadequate ventilation

Crooked toes, bent legs
• High or low temperature
• Poor nutrition

Short down, wiry down
• Nutritional deficiencies (especially riboflavin)​

• High incubation temperature

Eyes closed, down stuck to eyes

• Temperature too high in Hatcher
• Chicks remain in Hatcher too long after hatching
• Excessive air movement in Hatcher

Exploding eggs
• Dirty eggs from nest
• Eggs not washed properly
(eggs wiped or cleaned with contaminated cloth)
• Water condensation on eggs
• Water sprayed on eggs
• Contamination from earlier exploders
• Contaminations from handling with dirty hands

Dwarf embryos, runts in
• Egg contaminations

growing chicks
• Breeder diseases
• Nutritional deficiencies

Haemorrhage
• Incubator or Hatcher temperature too high
• Rough handling at transfer
• Nutritional deficiencies (vitamin K or vitamin E)
• Contamination

Swollen head and back of neck
• Nutritional deficiencies

Small air cell, egg weight loss under 10%
• High humidity
• Very thick shells
• Low temperature

Exposed brain
• High incubation temperature​

• Low oxygen levels