Jordan Walker has always been passionate for animals. He loves to share his knowledge and expertise about the animal kingdom through pet-related blogs. He leads the content team of Coops and Cages. In this article, he shares the reasons why some eggs fail to hatch.  

Eggs that fail to hatch can be a really great disappointment. Aside from being a waste of time, sometimes, it can be a very costly experience. In order to avoid future losses, it will help to identify the problem from the very beginning. Here, we will discuss all the possible causes of hatch failures.

The following are the most common reasons for egg hatching failing.  The reasons are as follows:

Incubator

The incubator can be a factor why an egg fails to hatch. In using it, the general-rule is to let warm-air circulate all around the incubator. This way, a steady temperature, which is actually required in hatching eggs, is maintained. But, apart from that, there are other incubator-related issues that may be associated with the death of an early embryo, such as:

• Inappropriate Incubator Settings

In the early stages of incubation, temperature is critical. When it is too high, chicks may hatch earlier, or worse, they may die. However, towards the end, the temperature will no longer be critical.

• Poor Incubator Sanitation

The incubator is a perfect setting for bacteria and fungi. It is a great place where their population may flourish. With that being said, it is best to wash hands before touching eggs so as to reduce the risk of introducing infection. Also, to lessen the chances of introducing more contaminants to the incubator, it is strongly advised to wear gloves.

• Incubator Location

The location of an incubator greatly affects the development of a chick inside an egg. It has to be placed in a low area to reduce vibration and temperature change.

Egg Handling

While many assume that the act of transferring an egg from the hatching area to an incubator is a pretty straightforward task, actually, it’s not. During this time, there are several risks that may cause poor hatch rates. Among these are:

• Vibration

In the early phase of incubation, too much vibration may lead to embryo death. Therefore, when handling eggs, caution has to be practiced.

• Position

The egg’s position affects the survival of the chick. To achieve a higher survival rate, a chicken egg has to be incubated in a vertical manner with the air cell up.

• Egg Shell Contamination

There are lots of substances that may contaminate an egg shell – droppings, insecticides, oil, nicotine on the fingers of the handler, and cleaning agents. Any of these things may potentially kill or deform the developing embryo.

Bird Condition

Apart from the incubator and egg handling, the condition of the egg-laying bird may affect the survival rate of the chick. Chickens that carry viruses may lay contaminated eggs. And, if one of these eggs is introduced into the incubator, a whole batch of eggs can be affected.

Also, any anatomical issues may greatly interfere with the typical mating act. Hence, chickens that are obese or malnourished can lay eggs that are vulnerable to disease.

Knowing all these causes, it is safe to say that even in the most well managed hatcheries, the possibility of an egg failing to hatch cannot be avoided. Therefore, early investigation and detection of problems can always help reduce unwanted death among chicks and increase the chances of producing better quality eggs.

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Author: Jordan Walker

Jordan is the lead content curator for Coops And Cages as well as a couple of other pet related blogs. His passion for animals is only matched by his love for ‘attempting’ to play the guitar. If you would like to catch him, you can reach him via Google+ or Twitter.

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