It's All Over. Inbreeding????

[joeman2041]

Chicks Hatched With Guts Out HELP! Thanks to all that responded. Humidity seems to have been my biggest problem, I got caught up with the air space and didn't pay enough attention to the humidity. Don't know where I got the idea but I thought too much humidity would drown them, go figure.

For anybody interested. 97 eggs Chicks hatched with guts out about 10, 3 went back in the others died. 47 chicks put in the brroded box lost 5 the rest seem healthy. I have 6 Silver Penciled Wyandottes in the incubator right now -HUMIDITY 60%!!LOL

Does anybody know anything about inbreeding and its problems - if any? The cickens I am breeding are all the same age from the same hatchery, is that a problem?

 

[turnerstar31]

I don;t think inbreeding has anything to do with it because if they came from a hatchery chances are they are not all related anyway. My guess is that your temp and humidity were off during incubation. Are you eggs just starting out the Sliver penciled ones because if they are than your humidity is way to high.

 

[hinkjc]

Unabsorbed yolks can be from several factors. I would look into those and try again. http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/trouble.htm#RN

Rough or unhealed navels :

Improper incubation temperatures - Follow recommended incubation temperatures.

High hatching humidity - Maintain proper humidity.

Navel infection (Omphalitis) - Clean and disinfect incubator and hatching units between settings of eggs. Maintain dry hatching trays. Properly store and fumigate eggs.

Jody

 

[seriousbill]

If it's just the first generation of hatchery birds, then you're probably okay. The eggs probably came from more than one rooster, and maybe multiple pens, etc. If you keep breeding the same hatchery strain for several generations, you might run into problems, especially if you only use one rooster.

Major hatching problems like that are usually incubator-related, and they're usually because the temps are too high or spiked. Inbreeding issues tend to be milder things like crooked toes or missing toenails, roachback rumplessness, wry tail, crossbeak, etc.

 

[summerwindsfarm]

Ive had this happen before..its heartbreaking. Your probably right that your problem was too low of humidity. If your temps were too high this can happen too as they hatch too soon. Heres a url that really helped me figure out how to fix my hatching problems. You can compare your chicks to the problem and find solutions. http://4hembryology.psu.edu/trouble.html#Problem%20#10:

I know that some ppl do dry hatches but i have never had good luck going that way. Getting the humidity right has been the hardest part of learning to hatch for me. You have to just keep trying and learning from bad hatches til you get to know your incubators.

Hatcherys have soooo many different hens and roosters that i doubt that youd have problems with inbreeding at least in the first generation out of the hatchery. If you kept inbreeding those chicks to each other at some point you might start to have some problems. But what your describing is a pretty common incubation error.

Storing your eggs properly before you incubate them, proper nutrition for your birds before gathering hatching eggs, not holding the eggs too long before sitting them.. all those things can affect your hatches too.

 

[joeman2041]

turnerstar31 I don;t think inbreeding has anything to do with it because if they came from a hatchery chances are they are not all related anyway. My guess is that your temp and humidity were off during incubation. Are you eggs just starting out the Sliver penciled ones because if they are than your humidity is way to high.

Virginia Cooperative Extension says 60% humidity increase to 65/70% at hatching. It's so confusing

I got my chicks last year from Murray McMurray. They were all healthy and did well, didn't lose a one. I kept one rooster from each breed and bred them to the hens, Black Austratorps, Barred Rock, New Hampshire which I crossed with Orpthingtons and a Silver Penciled Wyandotte and Dark Cornish Roo which I crossed with Partridge Rocks. Quite a colorful brooder full LOL

This is my first time so I wasn't sure what to expect. One thing for sure, I was way over optomistic [smile]