# chick died while hatching-why?!?!?!



## pigeon_turbo (Nov 21, 2002)

i have been waiting over 2 weeks for my racers' eggs to hatch.....i finally saw a crack in it yesterday.....i kept an eye on it every hour......i saw that it was alive and it was moving inside and that it was working its way around the egg-making the crack bigger......by night fall the chick had stopped moving......i was very disappointed and confused and.....sad.....im wondering what happened?!?- was it because i was too excited and my constant check up o nthe egg did something to the chick????? it is winter here but it was only like 30 degrees not so cold and other chicks had hatched just few days ago....any info would be helpful


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## Navigator (Jan 2, 2003)

Sorry to say, but it very well could be due to your curiosity. The hatching is a critical time in the process and the humidity level should increase to 70% to make it easier for the squab to free itself from the shell. The hen controls this the best she can but must be allowed to do her job.
Of course there are occasions where the eggs do not hatch due to disease being passed from the hen to the embryo. Paratyphoid is one such disease that comes to mind.
Sorry for your loss. Be patient and you should have better luck on the next round.


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## Termite (Jan 14, 2003)

Disease is not the only thing that can cause chicks to die while hatching, but it is a good posiblity so don't rule it out. Actualy there are many reasons from genetics of the parents to vitamins and minerals (deficiency). Make sure when you pair up your breeders that you are giving them grit w/minerals. The thing to remember is that when an egg is laid it has to have EVERYTHING it needs to take one cell and produce a chick. Nutrition also playes a big part, but if you feed a good pigeon diet you shouldn't have to worry about that to much. Hope this helps.

Termite


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## WhiteWingsCa (Mar 1, 2002)

I agree about the deficiency problem...the only time we have deaths at hatching is when the feed/suppliments weren't quite up to par (when we were first starting out, and didn't know any better). Disease can be a factor, but most often, it is deficiency.

Strangely enough, it is usually lack of calcium in the hens' diet prior to laying. Sounds strange, because calcium is used to make the shells stronger/harder, so you'd think it would cause MORE problems at hatching, but it is the exact opposite.


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## Termite (Jan 14, 2003)

Yep, you are right on the calcium. If you have a hen that always has problems it maybe because she won't eat the suppliment. If this happens you can give her half a calcium tablet twice, one week apart and that will help. Or maybe even better not to breed her as she could pass the trait on to her daughters.

Part of the reason calcium may be a factor is that besides strong bones and egg shells, the level of ca+ (calcium ions) in the muscles controls muscle contraction. In short if the chick is deficient in calcium it will not have the strenght to chip out as well. I can go into great detail on this issue, so if you realy need to know about it, e-mail me.

Termite


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