Basic Trouble Shooting Chart & Reference Troubleshooting For Specific Incubator Problems ? Sometimes we have large numbers of hatches affected and plagued by one specific problem. Some things on this list may be things that we may not think effect hatches. 1. Sign: Not pipped. Full-term embryo, large yolk sac; yolk sac may not be fully enclosed by abdominal wall, may have residual albumen. Causes: 1. Inadequate turning, resulting in decreased embryonic membrane development and nutrient absorption. 2. Humidity too high during incubation or after transfer. 3. Incubator temperature too low. 4. Hatcher temperature too high. 5. Eggs chilled. 6. Nutritional deficiencies. 7. Heredity. 8. Embryological development accident. 9. Breeder diseases. 10. Inadequate ventilation. 11. Prolonged egg storage. 2. Sign: Pipped. Full-term embryo, dead in shell. Causes: 1. Low humidity or temperature for a prolonged period. 2. Low humidity during hatching. 3. High temperature during hatching. 4. Nutritional deficiencies. 5. Breeder diseases. 6. Poor ventilation. 7. Inadequate turning during first 12 days. 8. Injury during transfer. 9. Prolonged egg storage. 3. Sign: Shell partially pipped, embryo alive or dead. Causes: 1. See 8. 2. Excessive fumigation during hatching. 3. Eggs set small end up. 4. Sign: Chicks hatch early; tendency to be thin and noisy. Causes: 1. Small eggs. 2. Differences among breeds. 3. Incubator temperature too high. 4. Incubator humidity too low. 5. Sign: Chicks hatch late. Causes: 1. Large eggs. 2. Old breeders. 3. Eggs stored too long 4. Incubator temperature too low. 5. Weak embryos. 6. Inbreeding. 7. Incubator humidity too high. 6. Sign: Slow, protracted (drawn-out) hatch. Causes: 1. Mix in the incubator of eggs stored for long and short periods 2. Mix of eggs from young and old breeders. 3. Mix of large and small eggs. 4. Improper egg handling. 5. Hot or cold spots in incubator or hatcher. 6. Incubator or hatcher temperature too high or too low. 7. Room ventilation system improper; high positive pressure or low negative pressure. Such pressures may alter incubator or hatcher ventilation. 7. Sign: Trays not uniform in hatch or chick quality. Causes: 1. Mix of large and small eggs. 2. Mix of eggs from young and old breeders. 3. Mix of eggs from different strains or breeds. 4. Some eggs stored much longer. 5. Lack of uniform ventilation in setter or hatcher. 6. Disease or other stress in one or more breeder flocks. 7. Variation in egg storage procedures among flocks. 8. Sign: Sticky chicks; chicks smeared with albumen. Causes: 1. Low incubation temperature. 2. High incubation humidity. 3. Improper turning. This results in reduced embryonic membrane growth and reduced nutrient absorption. 4. Old eggs. 5. Very large eggs. 9. Sign: Chicks stuck in shell, dry; chicks with shell fragments stuck to down feathers. Causes: 1. Humidity too low during egg storage, incubation, and/or hatching. 2. Improper egg turning. 3. Cracked eggs or poor shell quality. 10. Sign: Premature hatching; bloody navels. Causes: Incubator and/or hatcher temperature too low. These are some of the basics that you can cover and possibly eliminate if you are struggling with improper hatches. A good reference book is A guide to Better Hatching by Janet Stromberg, which was used in reference for some of this article. Another good Reference is keeping a daily log or journal of your hatches and experiences with your particular make and model of incubator. Include in your log, any fluctuations, troubles and troubleshooting diagnosis that you may encounter. This journal will come in handy for the following year. Online Wet & Dry bulb calculator Chicken Chronicles Background created by the Chicken Chronicles | 
