Odd Birth Defects. Incubation advice needed!

[lobbstertael]

Hello, I have been having poor hatches of chicks and some with deformities. I think it's temperature related, but I don't know how to find out or test. Anyone know how to calibrate an Incuview module?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hello, I have been having poor hatches of chicks and some with deformities. I think it's temperature related, but I don't know how to find out or test. Anyone know how to calibrate an Incuview module?

What's the room temperature of your house?

I can probably help with the calibration.

 

[GodLovesU]

Have you tried using another Thermometer? Often the ones built into incubators don’t work too well. Out of curiosity, what kind of deformities are happening?

 

[lobbstertael]

The last hatch last year had 2 chicks that had no leg joints when I xrayed them. (I work at a vet) I thought it was spraddle, but it did not improve with therapy and hobbling and so we finally checked, and there was just no joint tissue at all. We ended up euthanizing them.

 

[lobbstertael]

The eggs started developing normally, then after about a week the embryos started dying. After the second week I candled again, and more had died quite recently. I ended up with about half of my eggs being dead before hatch even started.

 

[lobbstertael]

My house is about 70-72 degrees. I had an old Little Giant Still Air that i ran at 101-103 degrees and had pretty good luck with it, not being very precise. It seemed to stop working so I figured it was time for an upgrade. I got an incuview incubator in 2021 and had awesome hatches with it for about 2 years, and then last year it started acting up. I think I may have gotten some water in the module when cleaning, but it runs fine and seems to hold temperature. I just don't know. I bumped up the temp this hatch to 100 degrees. (I was using the recommended setting of 99.5 because it has a fan) The same thing happened, with chicks gradually dying off as the hatch progressed. Such a let-down! I have 9 live chicks this hatch (out of about 30) with one that hatched early and died, one that is still alive but questionable (has a trail of umbilical tissue and blood) several pipped but not hatched, and several with no hole that were too dark to see thru on candling (green shells). My hatch is 2 days early, which fits with my previous successful hatches in this incubator.

 

[lobbstertael]

There are a few issues I can try to change, but its just so similar to what happened last year that i can't help but think its something wrong with my incubator.

 

[lobbstertael]

Also they seem to be weak chicks, with a tendency to club feet.

 

[lobbstertael]

The last hatch last year had 2 chicks that had no leg joints when I xrayed them. (I work at a vet) I thought it was spraddle, but it did not improve with therapy and hobbling and so we finally checked, and there was just no joint tissue at all. We ended up euthanizing them.

Here's the xrays, they're actually very interesting!

 

[lobbstertael]

What's the room temperature of your house?

I can probably help with the calibration.

Do you have a recommended thermometer? And/or hygrometer. I'm not sure how much confidence I have in the little one that comes with the incuview. I'm thinking of buying a new module but if I could have a way to fix this one I'd rather!