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Trouble Shooting Failures with Egg Incubation
By Mississippi State University - When incubation of eggs fails, indications are often available that a well trained professional uses for diagnosing the causes for failure. The report includes the more common symptoms for incubation failures, the causes for each symptom, and the recommended corrective measures.
| Symptoms | Probable Cause | Corrective Measures |
| Clear eggs with no visible embryonic development | 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 ft??/bird | |
| Improper artificial insemination techniques or use of old/over-diluted semen. | Follow recommendations of primary breeder company. | |
| Eggs damaged by environment | Gather eggs frequently (at least once daily) | |
| Eggs stored too long or incorrectly | Store eggs at 50-60 degrees F. and 60% relative humidity. Incubate eggs within 7 days of lay | |
| Blood rings in incubated eggs | Improper storage | Follow recommended egg storage and gathering recommendations |
| Improper incubation temperatures | Check thermometer accuracy and incubator functions. Follow recommended temperature settings | |
| Improper breeder nutrition | Feed breeders a diet with balanced nutrient levels | |
| Improper fumigation | Follow fumigation recommendations | |
| Many dead embryos at an early stage | Improper incubation temperatures (usually too high) | Follow recommended incubation temperatures |
| Improper egg turning | Turn at least 3 times daily | |
| Inherited low hatchability | Avoid cross breeding. May need to secure different breeding stock | |
| Improper ventilation | Increase ventilation rate in incubator and/or room, but avoid drafts. Add oxygen at high altitudes | |
| Pullorum disease or other salmonelloses | Use eggs from disease-free sources. Have NPIP representatives blood-test the breeder flock | |
| Improper nutrition of breeders | Provide a well-balanced nutritional diet to breeders | |
| Pipped eggs, but died without hatching | Insufficient moisture | Increase humidity (wet-bulb temperature) during the hatching period |
| Improper ventilation | Increase ventilation rate in incubator and/or room, but avoid drafts | |
| Improper setting of eggs causing malpositioned embryos | Set eggs with small end down. Turn eggs properly but avoid turning within 3 days of hatching | |
| Early hatching (may have bloody navels) | High incubation temperatures | Follow recommended incubation temperatures. Check equipment for proper function. Guard against electrical surges or high incubator room temperatures |
| Improper egg storage | Store eggs at 50-60 degrees F. and 60% R.H. Turn at least 3 times daily | |
| Late hatching or not hatching uniformly | Low incubation temperatures | Follow recommended incubation temperatures |
| Warm and cool spots in incubator due to faulty design | Contact incubator company or obtain a different incubator design | |
| Old or improperly stored eggs | Gather eggs frequently, cool immediately and store eggs properly. Do not store longer than 7 days | |
| Sticky embryos (embryos may be smeared with egg contents) | High average incubation humidity | Follow recommended incubation humidity. Check size of air cell as an indicator for adjusting humidity condition |
| Low incubation temperature | Follow recommended temperature settings | |
| Lethal genes | Avoid cross breeding. May need to secure different breeding stock | |
| Inadequate ventilation | Increase ventilation rate in incubator and/or room, but avoid drafts | |
| Improper fumigation of eggs | Fumigate eggs by following the procedure carefully | |
| Embryos sticking or adhering to shell | Low incubation humidity (especially during hatching) | Increase incubation humidity by increasing water evaporation. Embryos dried too much |
| Excessive ventilation rate | Reduce ventilation rate but maintain minimum air exchange to prevent suffocation of embryos | |
| Crippled and malformed chicks | Improper incubation temperatures (usually too high) | Follow recommended incubation temperatures |
| Low incubation humidity | Increase incubation humidity by increasing water evaporation. Embryos dried too much | |
| Improper egg setting position or turning during incubation | Set eggs with small ends down. Turn eggs at least 3 times daily. Do not turn eggs within 3 days of hatching | |
| Heredity | Proper culling and breeding practices will reduce problems | |
| Slick hatching trays | Use trays with wire floors or place crinoline on hatching surface | |
| Improper nutrition of breeders | Provide a well-balanced nutritional diet to breeders | |
| Abnormal, weak, or small chicks | High incubation or hatching temperatures | Follow recommended incubation temperatures |
| Small eggs hatch small chicks | Set only standard or large sized eggs | |
| Insufficient incubation humidity | Maintain recommended humidity for species of bird incubated | |
| Improper ventilation in hatcher unit | Increase ventilation rate, but avoid drafts | |
| Diseased or poorly conditioned breeder flock | Use eggs from disease-free sources only. Have NPIP representatives blood-test the breeder flock | |
| Improper nutrition of breeders | Provide a well-balanced nutritional diet to breeders (especially vitamin levels) | |
| Excessive fumigation in hatcher | Fumigate using proper procedures | |
| Chicks with labored breathing | Excessive use of fumigant | Follow recommended fumigation procedures |
| Respiratory diseases | Check disease status of breeder flock. Conduct a thorough cleanup and disinfection of incubator and hatching facilities | |
| Large, soft-bodied mushy chicks; dead on trays; bad odor | Low average incubation temperaturePoor ventilation | Follow recommended incubation temperatures.Increase ventilation rate in incubator and/or room, but avoid drafts |
| Navel infection (Omphalitis) | Clean and disinfect incubator and hatching units between settings of eggs. Maintain dry hatching trays. Properly store and fumigate eggs | |
| Rough or unhealed navels | Improper incubation temperatures | Follow recommended incubation temperatures |
| High hatching humidity | Maintain proper humidity | |
| Navel infection (Omphalitis) | Clean and disinfect incubator and hatching units between settings of eggs. Maintain dry hatching trays. Properly store and fumigate eggs | |
| Short down on chicks | High incubation temperatures | Follow recommended incubation temperatures |
| Low incubation humidity | Follow suggestions to correct insufficient humidity | |
| Excessive ventilation | Reduce vent openings to restrict but maintain adequate air exchange | |
| Holding chicks in hatcher too long after hatching | Remove all chicks as soon as fluffy but within 24 hours after hatching | |
| Excessive yellow coloring of down | Improper and excessive fumigation in hatcher unit | Follow recommended fumigation procedures. |
Source: Mississippi State University Extension Service - April 2006
