Chick with weird deformity? *GRAPHIC PIC*

[LaynaDon95]

Thanks everyone. I hope I never have to make that decision again. (Though I know I will.) It's a sad one.

 

[2hot2chicken]

Are you using the factory thermometer? I bought an LG still air and when used side by side with a thermometer I knew was very acurate the 1 my bator came with was off a couple of degrees. Theres a way to recalibrate it using boiling or ice water I don't know it on hand I just know mine is off by just about 2 degrees exactly and go from there. I would get another thermometer just to be sure of the temp.
I have seen chicks hatch from higher temps that had the same problem and since yours are hatching early to I would suspect that to be the culprit as well. I have also seen a couple hatched by someone else that were bad genetics and they hatched on day 20 and had most of the yolk hanging out so that would be my second guess.
Where did you get the eggs from? If they were from you and you feel safe your temps were right then it could possibly be a trait passed from a rooster if more than 1 hen is laying the eggs with problems.
This would be my best guess at leased. Its hard to say for sure since we are not really there to check the variables.

And I am very sorry you lost a chicky, I recently lost almost a whole batch just before lockdown due to DH trying to be helpful when I wasn't home, so I know how you feel

I cried literally. So much hard work and stress really does go into hatching eggs and then when you loose even 1 chick its like loosing an old pet. You feel like you already know them since you have been candling them and watching them grow!

I have faith you will figure it out. Have you tried dry hatching? I run my humidity at about 40-45% then bump it up to 70% at lockdown. I wouldhave had sucess if not for the incident. All of the dead chicks were fully developed with feathers and everything ready to go. Some even had most of their yolk obsorbed already. The only eggs I had to remove during the last hatch were on the first 10 day candling and they had no development at all, clear eggs. After that all of the eggs made it till DH "helped".

 

[LaynaDon95]

Are you using the factory thermometer? I bought an LG still air and when used side by side with a thermometer I knew was very acurate the 1 my bator came with was off a couple of degrees. Theres a way to recalibrate it using boiling or ice water I don't know it on hand I just know mine is off by just about 2 degrees exactly and go from there. I would get another thermometer just to be sure of the temp.
I have seen chicks hatch from higher temps that had the same problem and since yours are hatching early to I would suspect that to be the culprit as well. I have also seen a couple hatched by someone else that were bad genetics and they hatched on day 20 and had most of the yolk hanging out so that would be my second guess.
Where did you get the eggs from? If they were from you and you feel safe your temps were right then it could possibly be a trait passed from a rooster if more than 1 hen is laying the eggs with problems.
This would be my best guess at leased. Its hard to say for sure since we are not really there to check the variables.

And I am very sorry you lost a chicky, I recently lost almost a whole batch just before lockdown due to DH trying to be helpful when I wasn't home, so I know how you feel

I cried literally. So much hard work and stress really does go into hatching eggs and then when you loose even 1 chick its like loosing an old pet. You feel like you already know them since you have been candling them and watching them grow!

I have faith you will figure it out. Have you tried dry hatching? I run my humidity at about 40-45% then bump it up to 70% at lockdown. I wouldhave had sucess if not for the incident. All of the dead chicks were fully developed with feathers and everything ready to go. Some even had most of their yolk obsorbed already. The only eggs I had to remove during the last hatch were on the first 10 day candling and they had no development at all, clear eggs. After that all of the eggs made it till DH "helped".

It might be the thermometer. I've read the LG thermometers weren't very reliable.
It may have been the egg. It was a reeally long egg. (Not double yolked, just long.) The only one I put in like that. I almost didn't put it in just because it looked funny. Maybe I shouldn't have. I just put in another clutch. I didn't put in the eggs that looked like that one. We'll see what happens, I guess.

Oh my goodness! I would have cried for a week if I had lost the whole batch!! I'm so sorry to hear that. Your poor hubby must have felt so bad.
I'll bet all my money it won't happen again though. You live and learn. The chicky has a nice little grave next to my first pet (besides a fish) "Ty" a cat whom I had loved (here meaning "harassed") since I was like 3. He was ancient.

51 eggs due to hatch on March 1st. I'm excited to see how many actually hatch!