Trouble Shooting Failures with Egg

Incubation

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. A good
incubation publication, MCES Publication 1182, Hatching Quality Chicks helps
in analyzing the incubation procedure. It explains the artificial incubating
process in more detail.

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.
• Early hatching.
• Late hatching or not hatching uniformly.
• Sticky embryos.
• 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.
• Short down on chicks.
• Excessive yellow down color.
Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Clear Eggs with no Follow a recommended feeding

embryonic program to provide adequate nutrition.
Males undernourished
development Replace underweight males with
(infertiles) vigorous ones

Increase the number of males in the

Too few males
flock.

Use young cockerels more resistant to

Seasonal decline in fertility
environmental stress.

Do not use too many males. Rear all

Competition among
males together. Place temporary
breeding males
partitions within large pens.

Conduct an approved disease control

Diseased flock
program.

Provide comfortable housing. Properly

Frozen combs and wattles
select and maintain drinking fountains.

Old males Replace with younger males.

Artificially inseminate infertile hens.

Selected mating in pens
Replace males in the pen/house.

Male sterility Replace males in the pen/house.

Provide recommended floor space, at

Crowded breeders
least 3 ft²/bird.

Improper artificial
insemination techniques or Follow recommendations of primary
use of old/over-diluted breeder company.
semen.

Eggs damaged by Gather eggs frequently (at least once

environment daily).

Eggs stored too long or Store eggs at 50-60 degrees F. and 60%
incorrectly relative humidity. Incubate eggs within
 7 days of lay.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Follow recommended egg storage and gathering

Blood rings Improper storage
recommendations.

Improper incubation Check thermometer accuracy and incubator functions.

temperatures Follow recommended temperature settings.

Improper breeder
Feed breeders a diet with balanced nutrient levels.
nutrition

Improper fumigation Follow fumigation recommendations.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Many dead Improper incubation

Follow recommended incubation
embryos at early temperatures (usually too
temperatures.
stages high)

Improper egg turning Turn at least 3 times daily.

Avoid cross breeding. May need to secure

Inherited low hatchability
different breeding stock.

Increase ventilation rate in incubator and/or

Improper ventilation room, but avoid drafts. Add oxygen at high
altitudes.

Use eggs from disease-free sources. Have

Pullorum disease or other
NPIP representatives blood-test the breeder
salmonelloses
flock.

Improper nutrition of Provide a well-balanced nutritional diet to

breeders breeders.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Chicks fully formed, Maintain recommended humidity for

Low average humidity
but dead without species of bird incubated.
pipping

Check thermometer accuracy and incubator

Improper incubation
functions. Follow recommended
temperature
temperature settings.

Adjust ventilation to provide optimum

Improper ventilation in
moisture-loss rate from egg during
incubator
incubation.

Improper turning of Turn eggs at least three times daily until 3

eggs days prior to hatching.

Gather eggs frequently and store under

Chilling of eggs
proper conditions.

Diseased or poorly Conduct a good disease control and breeder

conditioned breeder management program. Use a well-balanced
flock nutritional diet.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Pipped eggs, but

Increase humidity (wet-bulb
died without Insufficient moisture
temperature) during the hatching period.
hatching

Increase ventilation rate in incubator

Improper ventilation
and/or room, but avoid drafts.

Improper setting of eggs Set eggs with small end down. Turn
causing malpositioned eggs properly but avoid turning within 3
embryos days of hatching.

Probable
Symptoms Corrective Measures
Cause

Follow recommended incubation temperatures.

Early hatching
High incubation Check equipment for proper function. Guard against
(may have bloody
temperatures electrical surges or high incubator room
navels)
temperatures.

Improper egg Store eggs at 50-60 degrees F. and 60% R.H. Turn at
 storage least 3 times daily.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Late hatching or not Low incubation Follow recommended incubation

hatching uniformly temperatures temperatures.

Warm and cool spots in

Contact incubator company or obtain a
incubator due to faulty
different incubator design.
design

Gather eggs frequently, cool immediately

Old or improperly stored
and store eggs properly. Do not store
eggs
longer than 7 days.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Sticky embryos (embryos High average Follow recommended incubation humidity.

may be smeared with egg incubation Check size of air cell as an indicator for
contents) humidity adjusting humidity condition.

Low incubation
Follow recommended temperature settings.
temperature

Avoid cross breeding. May need to secure

Lethal genes
different breeding stock.

Inadequate Increase ventilation rate in incubator and/or

ventilation room, but avoid drafts.

Improper
Fumigate eggs by following the procedure
fumigation of
carefully.
eggs

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Low incubation humidity Increase incubation humidity by

Embryos sticking or
(especially during increasing water evaporation. Embryos
adhering to shell
hatching) dried too much.

Excessive ventilation rate Reduce ventilation rate but maintain

 minimum air exchange to prevent
suffocation of embryos.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Improper incubation
Crippled and Follow recommended incubation
temperatures (usually too
malformed chicks temperatures.
high)

Increase incubation humidity by increasing

Low incubation humidity
water evaporation. Embryos dried too much.

Improper egg setting Set eggs with small ends down. Turn eggs at
position or turning during least 3 times daily. Do not turn eggs within 3
incubation days of hatching.

Proper culling and breeding practices will

Heredity
reduce problems.

Use trays with wire floors or place crinoline

Slick hatching trays
on hatching surface.

Improper nutrition of Provide a well-balanced nutritional diet to

breeders breeders.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Abnormal, weak, High incubation or Follow recommended incubation

or small chicks hatching temperatures temperatures.

Small eggs hatch small

Set only standard or large sized eggs.
chicks

Insufficient incubation Maintain recommended humidity for species

humidity of bird incubated..

Improper ventilation in
Increase ventilation rate, but avoid drafts.
hatcher unit

Diseased or poorly Use eggs from disease-free sources only.

conditioned breeder Have NPIP representatives blood-test the
flock breeder flock.
 Improper nutrition of Provide a well-balanced nutritional diet to
breeders breeders (especially vitamin levels).

Excessive fumigation in
Fumigate using proper procedures.
hatcher

Probable
Symptoms Corrective Measures
Cause

Chicks with Excessive use of

Follow recommended fumigation procedures.
labored breathing fumigant

Check disease status of breeder flock. Conduct a

Respiratory
thorough cleanup and disinfection of incubator and
diseases
hatching facilities.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Large, soft-bodied Low average

mushy chicks; dead on incubation Follow recommended incubation temperatures.
trays; bad odor temperature

Increase ventilation rate in incubator and/or

Poor ventilation
room, but avoid drafts.

Clean and disinfect incubator and hatching

Navel infection units between settings of eggs. Maintain dry
(Omphalitis) hatching trays. Properly store and fumigate
eggs.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Improper
Rough or
incubation Follow recommended incubation temperatures.
unhealed navels
temperatures

High hatching
Maintain proper humidity.
humidity

Navel infection Clean and disinfect incubator and hatching units

(Omphalitis) between settings of eggs. Maintain dry hatching trays.
 Properly store and fumigate eggs.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Short down on Follow recommended incubation

High incubation temperatures
chicks temperatures.

Follow suggestions to correct insufficient

Low incubation humidity
humidity.

Reduce vent openings to restrict but

Excessive ventilation
maintain adequate air exchange.

Holding chicks in hatcher too Remove all chicks as soon as fluffy but
long after hatching within 24 hours after hatching.

Symptoms Probable Cause Corrective Measures

Excessive yellow Improper and excessive Follow recommended

coloring of down fumigation in hatcher unit fumigation procedures.

Prepared by Dr. Tom W. Smith, Emeritus Professor of Poultry Science, Mississippi State University.