Trouble Incubating Leghorn Eggs

[1941Ransom]

Has anyone ever struggled with incubating leghorns? Both hatches I've done the leghorn eggs make it to the end and just don't seem to hatch. I've got five leghorn eggs in the incubator this hatch and those eggs seem just a touch less developed than the others. The couple leghorn eggs that have managed to hatch in the last two clutches are generally the end of the hatch.
Perhaps they need more time than my other breeds and are getting kicked around by the hatching chicks messing up their position? Or maybe it is something about the breed? Or perhaps my two leghorns just don't have the best genetics?
In an attempt to prevent roll-overs by other chicks I'm putting the 5 leghorn eggs into private little baskets at lockdown on Friday. I will update how it goes, but was interested if anyone else had faced a similar problem.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

If you are collecting from your own eggs add Poultry Cell to their water for 2 weeks before collecting hatching eggs. It makes a difference in hatch rates and the healthiness of chicks at hatch.

 

[DemeterAD9]

There are so many possible things that could cause poor hatching. It could be genetics, nutrition of the parent flock, humidity, temp, turning etc.

I would first look into your incubator settings. How are you incubating, wet or dry? Automatic turner? Double and even triple check your temp and humidity, don't rely on the factory settings of the incubator as they are often off point. Are you keeping track of the air cell size and/or weight loss of the eggs? How old are the eggs when you set them? Are the shells in good shape, not too porous nor double yolkers? Have you dissected the eggs after they fail to hatch to see how the chicks are positioned?

What are you feeding the breeding flock? If it isn't any of the things above I would wonder how your leghorns compare alongside a different breed being treated the same and hatched with the same setup. If they still do poorly then it would be a genetic thing.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've got five leghorn eggs in the incubator this hatch and those eggs seem just a touch less developed than the others. The couple leghorn eggs that have managed to hatch in the last two clutches are generally the end of the hatch.

Obviously you are hatching different chicks than just the leghorns. Your leghorns are being fairly consistent on hatching a little later than the others. I assume collecting and hatching conditions are basically identical.

My thought is heredity. Different things can affect when they hatch, heredity is one of them. Whether under a broody hen or in my incubator my flock's eggs tend to hatch early, one and occasionally two full days early. If it were just in my incubator I'd think that was the reason but my incubator is calibrated and it happens regularly under my broody hens also. It doesn't matter where in the incubator the eggs are incubated so that is not the issue.

It could be something else but heredity is my guess.

 

[1941Ransom]

If you are collecting from your own eggs add Poultry Cell to their water for 2 weeks before collecting hatching eggs. It makes a difference in hatch rates and the healthiness of chicks at hatch.

Definitely something to keep in mind for future hatches! Thank you.

 

[1941Ransom]

If it isn't any of the things above I would wonder how your leghorns compare alongside a different breed being treated the same and hatched with the same setup. If they still do poorly then it would be a genetic thing.

We have pretty decent hatch rates among the other eggs, losing one or two - generally early in incubation. But the leghorn eggs make it to lockdown and then just don't hatch or hatch right towards the end of the group.

 

[1941Ransom]

Obviously you are hatching different chicks than just the leghorns. Your leghorns are being fairly consistent on hatching a little later than the others. I assume collecting and hatching conditions are basically identical.
...
It could be something else but heredity is my guess.

Heredity is sort of my thought as well. Our eggs tend to hatch day 19 or 20. We'll see if the leghorns just need a little more time undisturbed with the baskets, or if they are just poorly primed for hatching.