Reason for deaths (Hatcher Experts Needed)

[Teresaann24]

So I am on day 15 on 36 silkie eggs. I have done alot of hatches I have been raising silkies/hatching for 4 1/2 years. In all my hatches I have some start to zip and die. I never could figure out what it was I have had atleast 3 out of 15-20 eggs do this almost every hatch if I don't catch it in time and help them in time.

What I would like to know is why this happens? I know it goes by only the strong survive. BUT! It made it all through incubation and piping and then starts to zip and just dies? Perfectly formed chick yolk is absorbed. Any advice would be great!

ALSO I have had to help some chicks out I never know when is the best time and just go by my gut. I have helped ALOT of babies and they have been fine but then there is some that just didn't make it when I have helped.

SO my 2nd question is when is the best time to jump in? Is there a time I should wait after piping? hours? What I always do is I check the clock when I see a pip if I see no progress in 3-4 sometimes 5 hours I help a bit. I always go in within that time and peck on the windows to see if they are still moving and frisky. I always watch for bleeding when I help and stop right away. Any advice on this would be awesome too. Just taking in all the Knowledge I can before hatch day. THANKS IN ADVANCE!

 

[debilorrah]

I firmly believe that the frail nature of silkies is their own demise when hatching. I have had very little luck with them. Some people say to wait 24 hours to help, but I say follow your instincts. I never intervene before 12 hours has passed myself, and I have about 70/30 success rate with helping them out.

Good luck!!

 

[magicpigeon]

Some times the shells can be too hard for them to crack open. My policy is to wait for at least 5 hours before intervening. I only remove the shell and let them get out of the membrane themselves. Silkies as a breed are fragile. Take your chances, I suppose

 

[Teresaann24]

thank you both, I have hatched RIR's and they hatched like popcorn popping. Silkies are very fragile guess I will just have to baby this hatch as always

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Sounds right to me! Silkies are difficult. I have 7 in my bator now and only 3 look good.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Sounds right to me! Silkies are difficult. I have 7 in my bator now and only 3 look good.

 

[Teresaann24]

I had 42 I am down to 36.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can look through these to see what can cause problems at different stages of incubation. They have a specific section for pipping but not hatching.

Mississippi State Incubation Troubleshooting
http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/troubleshooting_incubation.pdf

Florida Incubation Troubleshooting
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa204

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Having incubated hundreds of eggs...both silkies and "regular" birds

I will say that silkies are definitely harder to hatch.

One of my theories has to do with the vaulted skulls. I don't know if yours are vaulted, but most of mine are. For a chick to hatch it has to 1. have it's head under it's right wing and 2. it must turn in the shell as it hatches.

I think that the large vault prevents this from happening easily and the chicks die. Perhaps even from pressure on their brain that is protruding out of their skull. For this very reason, I am thinking about working on hatching silkies that are either non-vaulted or minimally vaulted but still have the large crest. If you will check Hattrick Silkies website, there is a very good informational page on vaulted vs. non-vaulted silkies. Vaults are NOT necessary for large crests and I can tell you from experience that they make the birds MUCH more fragile. All of my wry neck has been in birds with large vaults.


http://www.hattricksilkies.net/articles_vaulted_skull.html

 

[Teresaann24]

From my own hatches I have some with large vaults and some with out and yes it does to always be the ones with large vaulted skulls. This hatch is a test hatch from a BYC member He told me that they would have the vaulted skulls.