SUPER weird hatch, DIS, deformities, please help.

CuzChickens

CountryChick
7 Years
Apr 24, 2016
5,617
2,908
397
Virginia
Hey guys, I really need your help, and this might be long, but just bear with me please.....

I had 14 eggs starting out, 4 White Leghorn/Buff Orpington crosses, and 10 Buff Orpingtons, all from my flock. I had hatched out both varieties before with no issues, and have also shipped 12 to SC, 8 of which hatched.

These eggs started out in my Incuview, and were there for 11 days, and then they needed to go to my Styro, and all was going great, on day 18, all 14 eggs went into lockdown, and I was 100% sure they were all alive.

On day 20, I came home from swim to find many of the eggs rocking, and I had 2 pips, and by morning I had 7, but nobody else zipping. I have been hatching quite a bit, and have gotten to the point of not being super freaked out and just leave the eggs alone and don't jump the gun and do premature helpouts, so when I didn't have any zips yet, I left them alone, a slight fear in the back of my mind, but told myself I was just being paranoid.

Later that day, I had to leave, my mom would be home to take out hatched chicks, and nobody else had made progress, but I tried to tell myself only 1% of chicks need help, and left. On the morning of day 22, my mom texted me with pictures, and no one else had hatched. She helped 3 by zipping for them, and after an hour, they couldn't get out, so she pulled off the cap and they finally got out on their own.

I got home later that evening, and nobody else had hatched, the ones that were hatched weren't doing great, and one was deformed in the leg, it was twisted. I immediately helped the remaining 3 that hadn't helped, and the other 8 had pipped, and died.

WHAT WENT WRONG?!?!?!?

The chicks are having a rough start, but I splinted the deformed chicks leg, and I have noticed some chicks pecking at some food with sugar water in it, but I just can't get over it. TIA

~Cuz
 
There are a bunch of factors here. So let's weed them out. I'd start with the eggs. How old were the eggs when you put them in.

A side note. The chick with the twisted leg may be unrelated to the bad hatch or it could be (along with the bad hatch ) a sign that your temps were off. Likely low if that were the case.
 
Sorry to hear things went so wrong, it must have been discouraging not to have been there.
The Learning Center has a few articles on hatching issues. Hopefully you have better luck with your next hatch.

www.backyardchickens.com/articles/egg-failure-to-hatch-diagnosing-incubation-problems.67011/

www.backyardchickens.com/articles/diagnosing-causes-of-malpositions-and-deformities-in-chick-embryos.67021/

www.backyardchickens.com/articles/diagnosing-hatch-failures-it-starts-with-the-egg.67016/
Thank you for the articles, I looked at them, and it did give me a good idea on what might have happened.
There are a bunch of factors here. So let's weed them out. I'd start with the eggs. How old were the eggs when you put them in.

A side note. The chick with the twisted leg may be unrelated to the bad hatch or it could be (along with the bad hatch ) a sign that your temps were off. Likely low if that were the case.
I think the oldest eggs were 10 days old when I set them, and the newest ones were 1 day old. I wonder if my temps were too low, because I have read that low tempuratures may cause males to die later in the incubation stage, and from feather sexing, I think I have 4 hens and 2 roosters, so maybe that was it??? I also wonder if perhaps I had inadequate diet for my breeders? The think that makes me think otherwise, is I shipped 1 dozen to somebody right before I set mine, and he had no issues, so I'd be surprised if it changed just like that.

The chick with a twisted leg is doing great, she is walking now, and though her joint looks a bit red and swollen, I'm taking care of that and she is eating and drinking.
 
Thanks for the reccomendatipn, I wish I'd seen that one a few months ago when I was purchasing a thermometer, I would have paid $16.00 more for a Brinsea thermometer.
 

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