Worse hatch of my life

[Duramaxgirl]

I agree that inbreeding is not a good practice... although a lot of people think I'm crazy but I'm tying to keep my lines as open as posible.
But your problem still could of been heat spikes...maybe? I've seen heat spikes and to high of humidity do strange things to my hatches before.

 

[mandelyn]

Eggs from someone else, I don't keep any roosters.

There was one heat spike at day 3 to 101.8, not any more. I check it like 5 times a day, and keep it in the basement to avoid changes, since it's a stable environment down there besides humidity when it rains. The humidity wasn't running perfect, average of 50%, which is a bit too high. I've had that happen before too, so that's not new.

I'm telling you guys, it wasn't the incubator! Same equipment, same routine, same everything as far as incubation is concerned. Nothing new there, and I've had better hatches from worse conditions. Once the thing spiked 5 times, one time as high as 104 during that incubation. Great hatch rate because the humidity ran correctly. That's what you get in a house that doesn't have a/c though, temp spikes.

So one spike at 101.8 didn't do them then. Chronic humidity causes mushy chicks, sticky chicks, and drowned chicks.

But missing eyeballs? Severe cross beak? Everything I saw... not normal. Nothing was out of routine with the incubation.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

I'm gonna go with the round up idea then... or severe interbreeding... like brother x sister for 5+ generations straight.

 

[MetalSmitten]

sorry

i've found this website to be pretty helpful for these things though: http://www.natureform.com/kb/index.php?article=1011 scroll until you see the troubleshooting section, then look for your specific problems and see if there may be a common thread.

i've actually had HORRIBLE luck this year with shipped eggs, were yours shipped? i think the PO is being harder on packages than normal (probably due to being understaffed) and it is causing problems.

 

[1muttsfan]

Because the cells that later form entire organs are dividing early in incubation, heat spikes then can have drastic effects on the development of the early embryo. The one with missing eyes sounds particularly suspicious. the spikes do not have to be for very long. not sure how high it would have to be, but the temp may have been higher at some point than what you saw. So, so sorry about your unhappy luck, it is no fun to see.

 

[mandelyn]

No, they weren't shipped, I was trying to avoid that. Ha, lot of good that did.

I've been going through articles until my eyes went blurry, a lot of what was going on seems to have genetic causes as well as viruses in the parent stock. All kinds of things. My head hurts from all the information.

So who knows what it really is without someone pulling out a lab and running tests. But for that many to be affected was just odd.

 

[Ceinwyn]

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa204
Some of what you described, like clawed feet is nutritional.
Most like missing eyes and brain problems are caused by high incubator temperatures day 1-3.
With all the problems you listed with your hatch I'd say the breeding flock diet is substandard.
Alot of people just feed a plant based layer feed like purina(used as an example because its so widely available) and think its enough.
Food need to lay an egg and food needed to hatch a chick aren't the same.
So sorry you went through this.

 

[Lil'ChickFarm]

Did you tell the person that you got the eggs from? I would think they should know about it. I am sorry for all that you went through. I know how traumatizing it could be, as I have raised birds for a number of years.

 

[classicsredone]

Quote:
What would you recommend to resolve the nutritional deficiencies? Higher protein food with animal proteins such as fish meal?

 

[Ceinwyn]

Animal proteins are what is needed.
Easiest thing is to allow them access to bugs with free ranging but not always possible.
Even some scrambled eggs, brewers yeast for riboflavin and a little dog kibble in a pinch will add the needed nutrients.
Changing to a layer diet that includes animal protein is the easiest but not always available.
Some people just have no feed stores/mills etc nearby.
I got lucky and my local feed store carries a layer/breeder brand with porcine meal and added nutrients for breeding birds.