Did Herbicides Impact my Hatch Rate?

[hollandhens24]

Hello, this is my third time incubating eggs, so I am far from an expert. I am using a kebonnix incubator. My first hatch I achieved a 57% hatch rate. 7 eggs were placed with one empty space in-between each egg, except two silkie eggs which were next to each other and one standard egg. I theorize that the two eggs out of 6 that didn't hatch did not succeed because they did not have the empty space on either side like the other eggs and may have experienced a temperature difference(?) I realize that sometimes things just happen and am willing to accept that, just offering a possibility. The second hatch was a 90% (9/10) success rate with all standard sized eggs. The one egg that did not hatch was completely clear/infertile.

This third hatch has been a learning curve. My landlord hires a company to come and spray my weeds and last year this man even sprayed into my garden, which is surrounded by a fence, while spraying weeds around the perimeter. I contacted my landlord after this and asked him to please stop hiring for weed control and allow me to manage them. I did not eat the eggs that I gathered for a few weeks after, as my chickens free range. This spring, I looked out my window to see the weed company spraying as my chickens walked about. I contacted my landlord again, who agreed to stop sending weed control to my house. Although the guy spraying the herbicides insisted that it was animal safe, I didn't feel comfortable eating the eggs and now have a rooster, I decided to incubate. I placed 12 eggs and so far only one has hatched. Yesterday was day 23 and, growing impatient, I candled and heard several eggs cheeping as though they had pipped internally. I gave another 24 hours to allow them to progress on their own, but none did. Curiosity got the best of me and I figured I could at least make an air hole, only to find completely developed dead chicks inside of 7 eggs. The remaining 4 eggs in the incubator have movement, so I am cautiously optimistic. It could 100% be my incubator, but I suspect that weed killer had an impact of the vigor of my chicks and have found articles on here and the internet to support this theory. I am hoping at least one more hatches so that my lone chick can have a friend.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm not sure about the impact on your eggs as they'd have been in the coop; however, if the hens got this stuff on their tail end, then plop down in a nest box to lay an egg, then it's feasible to believe some of that could get on the egg.

The only thing your landlord needs to do is give you forwarning of when they are spraying so you could keep your chickens locked up until it's dry. We spray for quack grass, then a month later, weed and feed, and all this is done with the chickens locked up until it's dry. It says right on the bag or bottle, safe for children and pets when dry.

The other thing you can do if you suspect the eggs are ever tainted is sterilize them. I wrote an article about my successfully using Odoban to soak the eggs for a minute, then dry and incubate. Many people now do this.

Sorry for your loss of those eggs. Just checking here, but did you raise the humidity up to 65-70% the last three days (lockdown) prior to hatch day?

 

[hollandhens24]

I'm not sure about the impact on your eggs as they'd have been in the coop; however, if the hens got this stuff on their tail end, then plop down in a nest box to lay an egg, then it's feasible to believe some of that could get on the egg.

The only thing your landlord needs to do is give you forwarning of when they are spraying so you could keep your chickens locked up until it's dry. We spray for quack grass, then a month later, weed and feed, and all this is done with the chickens locked up until it's dry. It says right on the bag or bottle, safe for children and pets when dry.

The other thing you can do if you suspect the eggs are ever tainted is sterilize them. I wrote an article about my successfully using Odoban to soak the eggs for a minute, then dry and incubate. Many people now do this.

Sorry for your loss of those eggs. Just checking here, but did you raise the humidity up to 65-70% the last three days (lockdown) prior to hatch day?

Thank you for the information! I will most definitely read your article. The experience is disappointing, but also an opportunity to troubleshoot for better results next time. My ladies were (naturally) dust bathing under the apricot tree shortly after he had sprayed, so I do suspect it was all over them. They are very used to unlimited freedom and during the day it is nearly impossible to convince them to come back into the coop. I was surprised by how long the green residue stayed around the house and coop, probably because it isn't previously something I had been constantly looking for. I did increase humidity with an average range of 65-67% in the lockdown period. I will set more eggs later this week, as I am still giving the remaining eggs a few more days before I give up on them.