Observation: Excessive infertility for species
|
PROBLEM
|
CAUSES
|
REMEDIES
|
True
infertility
[Definition] |
| Poor
insemination technique |
Inseminate
more frequently at proper depth with good semen |
| Hens not
inseminated, wrong male to female ratio |
Inseminate hens; replace
males; use more males |
| Preferential
mating in pen matings |
Mate hen with different male |
| Male sterility |
Change males |
| Males not
mating |
Check for disease, nutrition
problems, foot problems and social dominance of females |
| Males too old |
Use young males; reinforce
natural with artificial insemination if old, valuable males must be used |
Observation: Over 3% dead 1st 3 days of incubation
|
PROBLEMS
|
CAUSES
|
REMEDIES
|
Pre-oviposital
death
[Definition] |
Inbred strains |
Avoid excessive
inbreeding; use young males |
| Parthenogenesis
in turkeys |
Do not use as
breeders, toms and/or hens showing high incidence of parthenogenesis |
Fertile,
no development (FND)
[Definition] |
Eggs stored at
too low temperature |
PFS No. 22 |
| Eggs stored too
long |
Store chicken,
pheasant, duck, goose and quail eggs no longer than one week; turkey and partridge eggs no
longer than two weeks |
| Eggs washed at
too high temperatures |
Dry clean eggs;
eliminate dirties; lower temperatures of wash water slightly; produce clean eggs |
Positive
development (PD)
[Definition] |
Poor collection
schedule during hot or cold weather |
When
temperature in house or nest box exceeds 80� F, collect eggs several times during the day |
Blastoderm
without embryo (BWE)
[Definition] |
Improper
storage temperature |
Store eggs
properly (55� F to 68� F) see PFS No. 22 |
Cystic
embryos
[Definition] |
Eggs stored too
long |
Store chicken,
pheasant, duck, goose and quail eggs no longer than one week; turkey and partridge eggs no
longer than two weeks |
| Rough handling
or shipping procedures |
Careful
handling from time eggs are gathered until chicks or poults are hatched |
| Diseased flock
(e.g. mycoplasmas, Newcastle disease) |
Inspect flock
for general and specific health conditions |
| Aged or
abnormal spermatozoa |
Check
insemination technique; use young males |
| Eggs from
inbred flock |
Some losses are
unavoidable with inbreeding; change males and/or introduce new genetic stock |
| Improper egg
storage temperature or pre-incubation temperature |
Do not allow
eggs to pre-incubate; use correct setter temperature (99.5° F); check egg storage
temperature |
| Eggs from hens
housed above 5,000 feet |
Avoid high
altitude |
Observation: Over .5% Dead day 4 to transfer
|
PROBLEMS
|
CAUSES
|
REMEDIES
|
| Many dead embryos |
Improper temperature |
Check thermometer for accuracy |
| Unknown power failure |
If power fails open machine until power is restored |
| Improper turning |
Turn eggs three or more times each day< |
| Eggs from inbred stocks |
Avoid excessive inbreeding |
| Poor ventilation of hatchery or incubator |
Provide proper air exchange |
| Disease or infected eggs |
Use eggs from disease-free flocks; Do not wash eggs in cold water |
Observation: Over 8% dead after transfer
|
PROBLEMS
|
CAUSES
|
REMEDIES
|
| Embryos dying before pipping |
Low temperature incubating conditions; humidity too high. |
Maintain 99.5� F dry-bulb, 86� F wet-bulb temperature in fan ventilated setter |
| Infected eggs |
Do not wash eggs in cold water; set only nest clean eggs |
| Poor nutrition of breeder flock |
Check breeder diet; nearly all known vitamins and minerals, if absent or in short
supply, can cause late mortality and poor chick quality |
| Certain genetic lethals |
Use vigorous strains |
| Embryos weak and fail to pip or pip weakly |
Vitamin E deficiency
|
Use fresh feed or supplement Vitamin E in water |
| Many pips stuck to shell |
Hatcher humidity too low |
Maintain 90� F wet-bulb temperature after pipping begins |
| Excessive residual albumen caused by high humidity and/or low temperature
incubation |
Check thermometers and thermostats; monitor temperature and humidity |
| Chicks pipped and dead |
Disease |
Use disease free stock |
| Overheating in hatcher; low hatcher humidity |
Check hatcher temperature and humidity |
| Nutritional deficiency |
Feed balanced diet |
Malpositions
[Definition] |
Eggs set small-end up |
Position eggs properly in trays (large end up or horizontal) |
| Chicks hatch too early, are thin and noisy |
Temperature too high during incubation period |
Check thermometer; 1� F in excess of 99.5� F will cause approximately 24-hour
earlier hatch |
| Chicks hatch late, are soft and lethargic |
Temperature too low and humidity too high during incubation period |
Check thermometer; 1� F below 99.5� F will cause late hatch |
| Old eggs |
Set only fresh eggs; allow extra time for hatch by setting old eggs early |
| Sudden losses at any time |
Improper fumigation |
Do not fumigate between 24 and 96 hours of incubation. |
| Mercury spilled in incubator or hatcher |
Check for broken thermometer or thermostat; clean up all spilled mercury
immediately |
| Power or equipment failure or overheating |
Check incubator temperature at least twice daily; refer to owners manual for
proper maintenance procedure |
