When incubation of eggs fails, indications are often available that a well trained
professional uses for diagnosing the causes for failure. The information listed below
includes the more common symptoms for incubation failures, the causes for each symptom,
and the recommended corrective measures Symptoms of incubation/breeder management
problems include:
•
Clear eggs with no visible embryonic development.
•
Blood rings in incubated eggs.
•
Many dead embryos at an early stage.
•
Chicks fully formed, but dead without pipping.
•
Pipped eggs, but died without hatching.
•
•
Late hatching or not hatching uniformly.
•
•
Embryos sticking or adhering to shell.
•
Crippled and malformed chicks.
•
Abnormal, weak, or small chicks.
•
Chicks with labored breathing.
•
Large, soft-bodied mushy chicks.
•
Rough or unhealed navels on chicks.
•
•
Symptoms
Probable Cause
Corrective Measures
Clear Eggs with no
embryonic
development
(infertiles)
Males undernourished
Follow a recommended feeding program to
provide adequate nutrition. Replace
underweight males with vigorous ones
Too few males
Increase the number of males in the flock.
Seasonal decline in fertility
Use young cockerels more resistant to
environmental stress.
Competition among breeding
males
Do not use too many males. Rear all males
together. Place temporary partitions within
large pens.
Diseased flock
Conduct an approved disease control
program.
Frozen combs and wattles
Provide comfortable housing. Properly select
and maintain drinking fountains.
Old males
Replace with younger males.
Selected mating in pens
Artificially inseminate infertile hens. Replace
males in the pen/house.
Male sterility
Replace males in the pen/house.
Crowded breeders
Provide recommended floor space, at least 3
ft²/bird.
Improper artificial
insemination techniques or
use of old/over-diluted
semen.
Follow recommendations of primary breeder
company.
