Incubation Troubleshooting Guide
When things don’t go quite according to plan (which can and does happen when incubating poultry artificially) try using this incubation trouble shooting guide to work out what went wrong. This guide is a general guide and covers all poultry although we are using chicks / chickens as an example.
After candling, although it can be a smelly job, it is advisable to crack open eggs you are unsure about to get a better look at what went wrong.
Problem | Possible Cause(s) | Remedies |
Eggs clear. No growth or blood in egg or small growth / blood when opened. | Male sterile or not mating. |
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Unsuccessful mating |
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Poor nutrition or inadequate water. |
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Birds overcrowded. |
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Eggs stored for too long or stored at the incorrect temperature. |
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Eggs shaken or dropped – such as going through the postal system. |
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Temperature of incubator too high or low |
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Hereditary poor hatchability. |
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Flock in poor condition / incorrect feeding. |
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Eggs chilled or overheated before collection. |
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Chicks died before fully developing | Ventilation inadequate. |
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Temperature of incubator too high or low. |
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Incorrect or inadequate turning. |
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Chicks fully formed but dead in shell, no pipping. On opening eggs, sometimes unabsorbed yolk can be seen. | Disease or flock in poor condition. |
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Eggs chilled or overheated before collection. |
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Low average humidity over the incubation cycle. |
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Temperature of incubator too high or low. |
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Incorrect or inadequate turning. |
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Chicks fully formed but dead in shell, chicks pip shell but don’t make it out. | Low average humidity over the incubation cycle. |
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Low average temperature. |
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Ventilation inadequate. |
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Temperature too high for a short period of time. |
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Tim Daniels
Founder at poultrykeeper.com
Tim is the founder of the poultrykeeper website and lives in Herefordshire, UK. He keeps Cream Legbar chickens, Silver Sebright bantams and hybrid layers for eggs, Abacot Ranger ducks, Brecon Buff geese and some quail.
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