What are some causes of late embryonic death?

[Frizzledhen]

Michelle,
Here is a link to problems with incubation.

http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/trouble.htm#ED

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
They make quail egg turner trays, cuz they are too small for the chicken egg turners. I am just putting them in the little cartons that they came in. I finally have a fan hooked up in my bator!!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
I have staggered hatches in mine, the hatcher I tried to make won't keep the right temp, I am still working on it. I do clean the bottom of the incubator out after each hatch, and I take the chicks out shortly after they hatch, so they don't poo in the bator. My humidity doesn't get very high, I can't get it to stay over 55%, and it's usually lower than that.

 

[Katy]

That would be an issue worth looking at. I'd stop the staggered hatches and see if that helps. Even going to get a $40 LG (and I'm not a LG fan) would be better than trying to do it all in one bator. The humidity ups and downs can't be helping.

 

[77horses]

Same thing happened to me on my first hatch.

The chick died around 12-15 days. I thought it was still alive, but by day 27, I cracked it open, found a small chick with a large yolk sack still attached, and it smelled bad.

So I really feel your pain. Not sure why it happened.
Good luck and sorry I couldn't help that much!

 

[hinkjc]

Quote:
Agree...a steady incubation environment is critical for successful hatches.

Jody

 

[shelleyd2008]

What I can't figure out is that the first two hatches had no problems whatsoever, and I was hand turning the first batch for the most part! I swear I did everything wrong with the first ones, and they still hatched!! The second batch was all in an egg turner, but they still did very good. I had some that candled clear, but they were from my dad's cochin, and half her eggs are no good. Idk why, they have pretty large pores, and she is twice the size of my rooster, so anything could be the problem with those. But those are the only ones that ever were clear. I had one blood ring with the eggs in the first hatch, but other than that, both hatches only had one full term egg that didn't hatch. I don't really increase the humidity, I can't get it to go over 50% and stay there, so i don't think that would be the problem. I was looking on the site that frizzledhen quoted yesterday, and it said a lot of embryonic deaths can be caused by vitamin defficiency, but idk. My birds all free range, and get scratch as well as chick starter/grower, and flock raiser (depending on which feeder they get into) but I am not sure they get everything they need.