Troubleshooting For Your Hatchery€¦ · Practical Techniques • To leave you with some thoughts and ideas on ways to help improve your troubleshooting thought process for any hatchery

Troubleshooting For Your Hatchery

Henry KohlHatchery Consultant

Practical Techniques

• To leave you with some thoughts and ideas on ways to help improve your troubleshooting thought process for any hatchery issue.

• But always remember we at Jamesway are here to help. We are a phone call or click away.

• For technical phone support from anywhere in the world and any time of day, please contact our Platinum Response Team. +1 226 765 0210

Troubleshooting Steps

First step - provide a very detailed description of the problem with as much detail as possible.

• Hatchability below expectations by XX%• Chick quality below expectations• Hatch and chick quality below expectations


Next…Is this an isolated event related to a specific incubator, hatcher, breeder flock, etc.… ?

Or is this a chronic issue occurring on a regular or frequent basis?


Review the necessary hatchery data, Fertility, Hatch %, Moisture loss, DOA’s, livability, HOF, etc.….

If you do not have the data needed begin collecting data so you can make an informed decision.


Define where the problem is occurring.

Is it a flock issue?Egg handling issue?Incubator issue?Hatcher issue?Sanitation issue?Etc.…


Perform residue breakout and if needed candle breakout.

Are your losses Early dead?Are your losses Mid dead?Are your losses Late dead?

What does this tell you?

Farm Hatchery

Troubleshooting Hatchability

• Troubleshooting hatchability can at times be very difficult.

• Lots of factors involved• Breeder flocks, age, breeds, nutrition, egg collection,

etc.…• Environmental conditions - seasonal changes, room

and plenum conditions, etc.…• Egg handling practices – everything from the time the

egg is laid to set.

Analysing Hatch Residue

• Analyzing hatch residue is a useful management tool that will provide valuable information in isolating problems in both the breeder and the hatchery programs.

• The following is a list of problems that may be observed and there possible cause(s) and remedies.

Chicks Hatch Late

Possible causes:• Variable room temperature• Large eggs• Old eggs - eggs held too long• Incorrect thermometer• Temperature too low, 1 to 19 days• Humidity too low, 1 to 19 days• Temperature too low in hatchery

Fully Developed Embryo with Beak Notin Air Cell

Possible causes:• Temperature too high, 1 to 10 days• Humidity too high, 19th day• Eggs chilled at transfer

Fully Developed Embryo with Beak inAir Cell

Possible causes:• Incubator air circulation poor• Temperature too high, 20 to 21 days• Humidity too high, 20 to 21 days• Shell quality

Chicks Pipping Early

Possible causes:• Temperature too high, 1 to 19 days• Humidity too low, 1 to 19 days

Chick Dead after Pipping Shell

Possible causes:• Eggs incubated small end up• Thin-shelled eggs• Eggs not turned during the first 2 weeks• Eggs transferred too late• Inadequate air circulation, 20 to 21 days• CO2 content of air too high, 20 to 21 days• Incorrect temperature, 1 to 19 days• Temperature too high, 20 to 21 days• Humidity too low, 20 to 21 days

Sticky Chicks (albumen stuck to chicks)

Possible causes:• Old eggs• Eggs transferred too late• Air speed too slow, 20 to 21 days• Inadequate air in incubator• Temperature too high, 20 to 21 days• Humidity too high, 20 to 21 days

Chicks Covered with Egg Remnants

Possible causes:• Humidity too high• Temperature too low

Clear Eggs

Possible causes: NOT ALL CLEARS ARE INFERTILE• Infertile• Eggs held improperly and/or too long• Too much egg fumigation• Very early embryonic mortality

Fertile vs Infertile

Infertile Fertile

Fertile = organized growth

12 Hours 24 Hours

Blood Ring (embryonic death 2-4 days)

Possible causes:• Old eggs – eggs held too long• Rough handling of hatching eggs• Holding temperature• Contamination• Shell quality• Young flock• Humidity• Fumigation

Dead Embryos, 2nd Week of IncubationPossible causes:• Eggs not cooled prior to incubation• Temperature too high in incubator• Temperature too low in incubator• Electrical power failure• Eggs not turned• Too much CO2 in air (inadequate ventilation)• Contamination• Shell quality• Humidity

Malposition chicks

• Eggs set small end up• Increased breeder flock age and shell quality• Lack of proper turning• Low humidity loss during incubation.• Lower temperature in hatcher• Improper temperature in Incubator• Improper ventilation

Chicks Hatch Early

Possible causes:• Small eggs• Incorrect thermometer• Temperature too high, 1 to 19 days• Humidity too low, 1 to 19 days

Chicks Dehydrated

Possible causes:• Eggs set too early• Humidity too low, 20 to 21 days• Chicks left in hatcher too long after hatching

completed

Mushy Chicks

Possible cause:• Sanitation issues in incubator• Poor hatchery hygiene• Sanitation issues with hatch baskets

Un-healed Navel, Dry

Possible causes:• Temperature too low, 20 to 21 days• Wide temperature variation in incubator• Humidity too high, 20 to 21 days• Humidity not lowered after hatching completed

Exposed Brain

• Temperature too high (days 1-3)

Red Hocks or Red on Beak

• Temperature too high in Hatcher• High humidity in hatcher• High CO2 –low ventilation• Or anything that will force the chicks to hatch

sooner than normal


• What is your moisture loss?

• Single stage 9-11%• Multistage 11-13%

• What does Hatchcom tell you?


Problem with Farm or Hatchery?

Review your SOP’s or processes.

Write down your entire process from start to finish. (from egg collection to chick delivery)

Not “what it should be” BUT what it “actually is”


Lots of times what we think is happening is NOT what is REALLY going on.

Your mission is to find out what is REALLY going on in the process.

• “Inspect what you expect”• “Trust but verify”


• Take appropriate steps to solve the problem


Make the changes and wait for the results, if the problem is not solved repeat steps and make another change.

Advice – make small changes and one at a time so you will know what was the root cause of the problem.


• The ‘shot gun’ approach to problem solving may solve the problem BUT you will NOT know what the root cause was for future reference.

Equipment Troubleshooting

• Multi-stage • Cabinet pressures• Cross bar temperatures• Exit end infertile temperatures• Calibration checks• Verification of turning• Proper damper adjustments• Preventative Maintenance


• Single stage• Calibration checks –Temp, RH, CO2• Profile• Damper adjustments• Turning• Preventative Maintenance


The Greatest Advise

• READ THE MANUAL – 90% of your issues can be solved by referring to the manual.

• If you need an electronic version please let us know and we would be happy to send it to you.

Jamesway Help• Hatchcom –

• We can connect to your Hatchcom system to help assist you in finding problems.

• We would need access to your system in in many cases this will require your IT’s permission

Jamesway Help

• Always remember we at Jamesway are here to help. We are a phone call or click away

• Platinum Response Team

• For technical phone support from anywhere in the world and any time of day, please contact our Platinum Response Team. +1 226 765 0210

YOUR PARTNER FOR A

WORRY FREE HATCHERY

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Troubleshooting For Your Hatchery€¦ · Practical Techniques • To leave you with some thoughts and ideas on ways to help improve your troubleshooting thought process for any hatchery