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INCUBATION
TROUBLESHOOTING...
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Poor hatching results are frustrating
and often confusing due to the large number of factors involved. The
most common are given below.
It
is important to glean as much information from the hatching results
as possible to enable the problem to be analysed in detail. Record dates
that eggs are set, incubator settings, dates of hatches, weight losses
and the number and condition of hatchings. Candle or break open unhatched
eggs to estimate the
extent of embryo development.
Some
general guides:
|
Observation
|
Likely
Cause(s)
|
Solution(s)
|
| No
chicks hatch, no sign of embryo development. |
Infertility,
infection, drastically incorrect incubation settings, parent
ill health. |
Check
egg viability - are similar eggs hatching naturally? Disinfect
the incubator. Check incubator settings and procedures - particularly
temperature. |
| No
chicks hatch, early death of embryos. |
Infection,
power failure to the incubator, incorrect temperature setting. |
Sterilise
the incubator, check mains supply and incubator temperature. |
|
Large numbers of late stage 'death in shell'. |
Incorrect
humidity, probably too high. |
Try
reducing average humidity levels. |
|
Chicks hatch earlier than expected, deformities. |
Incubation
temperature too high. |
Reduce
incubation temperature slightly (0.5°C). |
| Chicks
hatch later than expected. |
Incubation
temperature too low. Eggs stored too long. |
Increase
incubation temperature slightly (0.5°C). Reduce storage
times. |
| Hatch
dates widely spread. |
Different
rates of development due to different storage times, incubation
temperature variation. |
Limit
egg storage times. Check for incubation temperature variation
- sunlight, large room variation, etc. |
| Generally
poor results. |
Incorrect
incubation settings, poor parent bird health, inadequate egg
turning. |
Improve
parent bird health, check all incubation settings, analyse
egg weight loss to confirm humidity correct, check turning
working correctly. |
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As can be seen from the table, most of the symptoms listed
above are caused by
a small number of problems.
Temperature
- Always
follow the manufacturers' guidelines: different incubators will require
the thermometers to read different temperatures depending on their design.
If in doubt replace the thermometer to check accuracy of the readings.
Infection
- If you are getting
poor results it is particularly important to maintain good hygiene within
the incubator. Thoroughly clean the inside of the cabinet and all parts
with a disinfectant solution. Again, follow the manufacturers' guidelines
and make sure electrical parts are kept dry.
Humidity
- Ideally weigh the
eggs to monitor weight loss. Aim for about 13-15% (or more for some
altricial species) loss during incubation and alter the humidity level
to compensate for too much or too little weight loss.
Egg
viability -
When eggs do not hatch consistently the incubator or incubation technique
is usually blamed but it is essential that the eggs set are viable.
The parent birds must be healthy, not too young, old or in-bred if good
hatch rates are going to be achieved.
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Recommended
Temperatures
|
Incubation
Period
|
|
Forced
Air
|
Still
Air
|
| Hen |
37.5°C
(99.5°F)
|
39.2°C
(102.5°F)
|
21
Days
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| Pheasant |
37.7°C
(99.9°F)
|
39.5°C
(103.0°F)
|
24
Days
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| Quail |
37.7°C
(99.9°F)
|
39.2°C
(102.5°F)
|
17
Days
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| Duck |
37.5°C
(99.5°F)
|
39.0°C
(102.0°F)
|
28
Days
|
| Geese |
37.5°C
(99.5°F)
|
39.0°C
(102.0°F)
|
28
to 32 Days
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