QUALITY OF THE EGG HOLDS THE KEY

Egg is a capsule that holds the future chick. The composition inside the egg can not be corrected after it has been laid. The egg laid should contain all the required nutrients that a chicks needs to grow and hatch. Any shortfall of this will lead to dead in shell or failure to hatch. As it will run out of resources before time. secondly. If the parents are sick, and carriers of bacterial or viral infection it is passed on to the egg and later to the growing embryo. Hence it is very important that the breeding stock is healthy and free from infections, last and not the least diet rich in nutrition is a must for successful hatching. though they are other outside influences that effect the hatching like soiled eggs, chilling and improper humidity. But this can be correct anytime.

How to identify a fertile egg from infertile egg ? Every egg contains a Blastodisc. A fertile Blastodisc is known as Blastoderm, it is an initial stage of embryonic development. It can identified by its bulls eye appearance, with a regular concentric circles. There are many causes for the cell death in Blastoderm.

Ranging from lack of incubation or low incubation temperature, Shock in form of vibration, Bacterial infection, Inbreeding etc.

EARLY EMBRYO DEATH Infertile eggs, it cannot be considered as a hatching issue. As the eggs are infertile from the moment they are laid. There are no hatching issues that such an egg will face. Only fertile eggs face hatching issues.

A fertile egg should be handed very carefully with minimum of shock (shake or vibration). As there are all the chances of the yolk detaching itself from the two ligaments that holds it in its place. If detached the yolk will sink to the bottom and get attached to the shell. Giving rise to many complications.

There are many reasons for embryo death, It could occur on day one development or on the day of hatching. Most cases of embryo death are recorded in the first week of embryo development.

The most common cause for death of embryo in the first two weeks of development is due to chilling of eggs, it could be due to reasons like disturbances, sick or female out of breeding condition.

Dirty eggs covered with droppings can cause death of embryo, due to bacterial infection or clogging of pores of the egg shell.

To avoid such problems it is best advised to breed health adult birds. Avoid breeding very young or old birds; avoid inbreeding as far as possible.

HATCHING

The first sign that the egg is going to hatch is the drawn in air cell away from the wide egg of the egg shell, This is referred to as draw down, This occurs just before the chick starts to pip. The time taken to successfully pipping out of the egg from the draw down stage to hatching can vary 24 -72 hours. The time taken for hatching also depends on the species. When the chick starts to breathe it makes an internal pip into the air cell, followed by an external pip - a small dent on the outside of the egg indicating that the process of hatching has started. But at times it is unable to hatch out successfully due to various reasons.

HATCHING FAILURES

Health embryo from healthy parent will be strong enough and will break through the egg shell without any issues, whereas a weak (sick) embryo due to various reasons will not be strong enough to break through the egg shell and die of suffocation.

Humidity plays an important role in successful hatching. High humidity will cause the chick to grow fast. There will be no loss of water as required for successful hatching and the chick will drown in its own fluid.

Low humidity will cause the egg to lose more water than required. The membrane inside the egg will dry out and the chick will get stuck to the membrane, thus would not be able to move inside the egg and hence fail to break through the egg.

MALPOSITION OF EMBRYO

Malposition usually occurs around half way through the incubation period. It is during this period that the chick positions itself in the right position that is with the head tucked under the right wing, with the head facing the air cell, which is on the broader end of the egg. There are many reasons that can cause malposition to occur, which could be of internal or external nature.

Some of the reasons for malpositioning improper storage of eggs before incubation. Improper turning of the eggs during incubation Wrong / Fluctuating incubation temperature Low or high humidity during incubation, Malnutrition Vitamin and Mineral deficiency Mycotoxins Old female Poor shell quality Inadequate air circulation. Some common types of Malpositions Head stuck between the feet. Feet over the head Head under the left wing Beak above the right wing Head away from the air cell (as in the image posted) Head at the small end of the egg.

ASSIST HATCHING

Pipped eggs usually hatch without any issues between 24 to 72 hours.. But if they do not hatch after the pip has been made. It could mean that the chick is too weak to pip out, malpositioned or due to wrong humidity issues. In such cases assist hatching should be done. But that has to be done by an experienced person as there are all the chances of killing the chick in process if opened a little too early.

I have assist hatched many a chicks from Fiches to Macaws. My approach was based on information I gathered from the book Best in the Show by Gerald S. Binks ( Elbury Press /Pelham, London, 1977.). The chart information is based on assist hatching Budgerigar chicks. But the principle is the same for all birds.

Article Source : Sadiq Bhaimia Sir