Eggs: Failure to Hatch - Causes & Solutions
Incubation Procedures ... Breeding Challenges
Useful Information: Breeders' Resources ... Egg Incubation - pdf format ... Incubation Information (html)
Unsuccessful hatches can be caused by infertile eggs or embryo mortality. Each of these conditions can be diagnosed by Candling Eggs.
It is important to examine eggs that do not hatch to estimate whether infertility or embryo death is the basis for hatch failure. Also spoiling infertile eggs and those containing dead embryo could contaminate viable eggs, thus decreasing hatching success.
Relevant Resources:
- Causes of Infertility and Poor Hatching Rates
- Nutritional Deficiencies (Depending on the degree of malnutrition, either death or physical symptoms will occur)
- Dead-in-Shells (Assessment & Procedures)
- Chick Deformities
- Candling Eggs
- Embryo Development (explains what happens inside the developing egg) ... Glossary
- Photo Series: From Egg to Parrot - Amazing series of photos of candled eggs - from Day 1 through Hatching
Incubated Eggs won't hatch - Potential Causes & Solutions
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Nutritional Deficiencies:
Depending on the degree of malnutrition, either death or physical symptoms will occur. Please refer to the below:
| Nutrient | Deficiency Signs: |
| Vitamin A | Death at about 48 hours of incubation from failure to develop the circulatory system; abnormalities of kidneys, eyes and skeleton |
| Vitamin D | Death at about 18 or 19 days of incubation, with malpositions, soft bones, and with a defective upper beak prominent. Please click on this link for info. |
| Vitamin E | Early death at about 84 to 96 hours of incubation, with hemorrhaging and circulatory failure (implicated with selenium). |
| Thiamin | High embryonic mortality during emergence but no obvious symptoms other than polyneuritis in those that survive. |
| Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) | Mortality peaks at 60 hours, 14 days, and 20 days of incubation, with peaks prominent early as deficiency becomes severe. Altered limb and beak development, dwarfism and clubbing of down are defects expressed by embryo. |
| Niacin | Embryo readily synthesizes sufficient niacin from tryptophan. Various bone and beak malformations occur when certain antagonists are administered during incubation. |
| Biotin | High death rate at 19 days to 21 days of incubation, parrot beak, chondrodystrophy, several skeletal deformities and webbing between the toes. Perosis. |
| Pantothenic acid | Deaths appear around 14 days of incubation, although marginal levels may delay problems until emergence. Variable subcutaneous hemorrhaging and edema; wirey down in poults. |
| Pyridoxine | Early embryonic mortality based on antivitamin use. |
| Folic acid | Mortality at about 20 days of incubation. The dead generally appear normal, but many have bent tibiotarsus (long leg bone), syndactyly (fused toes) and beak malformations. In poults, mortality at 26 days to 28 days of incubation with abnormalities of extremities and circulatory system. |
| Vitamin B12 | Mortality at about 20 days of incubation, with atrophy of legs, edema, hemorrhaging, fatty organs, and head between thighs malposition. |
| Manganese | Deaths peak prior to emergence. Chondrodystrophy, dwarfism, long bone shortening, head malformations, edema, and abnormal feathering are prominent. Perosis. |
| Zinc | Deaths prior to emergence, and the appearance of rumplessness, depletion of vertebral column, eyes underdeveloped and limbs missing. |
| Iodine | Prolongation of hatching time, reduced thyroid size, and incomplete abdominal closure. |
| Iron | Low hematocrit; low blood hemoglobin; poor extra-embryonic circulation in candled eggs. |
| Source / Reference: http://gallus.tamu.edu/Extension%20publications/b6092.pdf | |
Eier: Küken schlüpfen nicht oder sterben in der Schale
The below test pinpoints the incubation stage of the egg, if unknown.
- If the eggs are cool to touch, incubation has either not commenced yet or the eggs have been abandoned.
- If the eggs are warm, one can assess the stage of development by placing the eggs into a pail of water. Please refer to below illustration.
NOTE: This is a popular science project and quite accurate, but not recommended for breeders, as any significant temperature change the egg is exposed to is likely to hurt the developing chick.
Click Here For more in-depth information on egg incubation, step-by-step instruction - important technical specifications to follow (pdf format)
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