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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Thanks for the terms and the information.
I used a Hovabator and the temp was preset at 100. I used two different
thermometers and both showed that the temperature held dead on 100
throughout the whole period. I don't think I can control the temps.
During the entire process, I kept water in the bottom, but I had no
hygrometer so that would have been hit or miss on maintaining the
correct humidity.  I kept a constant level of water, so I am thinking
too humid was probably the case. Since I was incubating in the house and
we heat with wood, I was super diligent about keeping water in the
channels.  That may have been the cause.
Overall I still had a good hatch I think, but I was curious about what
might have happened.  When I choose the eggs to hatch, I did not use the
dirtier eggs.  I only chose clean ones.  My guess therefore is the humidity.
I found this on omphalitis in the Merck Vet Manual online and I want to
go through this line by line...maybe it will help someone else, too.

> Omphalitis is a condition characterized by infected yolk sacs, often 
> accompanied by unhealed navels in young fowl.

I suppose it was obviously infected, as it was never absorbed the way it
should have been.


It is infectious but
> noncontagious and associated with excessive humidity and marked 
> contamination of the hatching eggs or incubator.

I did not scrub the eggs, but the incubator was cleaned with bleach
beforehand and I only choose the cleanest looking eggs.  Bacteria is
everywhere though..you can't see salmonella..lol..

 The affected chicks
> or poults usually appear normal until a few hours before death.

One chick, Mr. Lastborn,  did appear normal up to the moment he died.
His sac was more clear looking.  He was rather vocal, so in hindsight,
perhaps he had some pain.  The other chick, Mr. Firstborn, was weak from
the getgo.  His sac was bloody looking, and he appeared to have some
kind of leak or tear in his umbilicus because he left a thin bloodtrail.
Mr. Firstborn did appear dehydrated.  Mr. Lastborn did not.


> Depression, drooping of the head, and huddling near the heat source 
> usually are the only signs.

I saw none of this with either chick.


The navel may be inflamed and fail to
> close, producing a wet spot on the abdomen; a scab may be present.

The navel did not close and in fact, they drug their yolk sacs behind them.

> Opportunistic bacteria (coliforms, staphylococci, Pseudomonas spp , 
> and Proteus spp ) are often involved, and mixed infections are 
> common. Proteolytic bacteria are prevalent in outbreaks. The yolk sac
>  is not absorbed and often is highly congested or may contain 
> solidified pieces of yolk material; peritonitis may be extensive.

All of that sounds right.

> Edema of the sternal subcutis may be seen.

I did not see this at all.


 Mortality often begins at
> hatching and continues to 10-14 days of age, with losses up to 15% in
>  chickens and 50% in turkeys.

Both losses occured in the first 24 hours, but the above scares me.
Just for sanitary reasons, I will change the hay in the box in the AM<g>


Chilling or overheating during shipment
> may increase losses. \

N/A


Persistent, unabsorbed, infected yolks often
> produce chicks or poults with reduced weight gain. There is no 
> specific treatment; antibiotic use is based on the prevalent 
> bacterial type involved, but is probably of little value.

This seems to imply that it is not necessarily fatal, but I agree with
you in that it wouldn't be worth trying to save such a chick.
I want only strong chicks, not something I have to medicate.


The disease
> is prevented by careful control of temperature, humidity, and 
> sanitation in the incubator. Only clean, uncracked eggs should be 
> set. If it is necessary to set dirty eggs, they should be segregated 
> from clean eggs. Sanitizing detergents must be used according to 
> directions if eggs are washed. Time, temperature, and frequent 
> changes of water are as critical as the concentration of sanitizer in
>  both wash and rinse water.

That is an idea I will use in the next hatch.  I will add a drop of soap
like Dawn to the water in the bottom channels.  Also, when I take the
eggs out to candle them, I can use something like Purell to clean the
turner and styrofoam parts.  Call it a mid-incubation cleanup.


 The rinse should be warmer than the wash
> water (which should be warmer than the internal temperature of the 
> egg), but should not be >60°C.

I really don't want to wash/rinse the eggs.  Perhaps I can just dampen a
washcloth with warm water and give them a gentle wipe if they need anything.


The incubator should be cleaned and
> disinfected thoroughly between hatches.

Disinfected with bleach.

If fumigation is to be done
> with formaldehyde, vents should be closed. Thirty mL of 40% 
> formaldehyde per 0.6 m3, or paraformaldehyde (in the strength 
> recommended by the manufacturer), should be allowed to evaporate in 
> the closed incubator or hatcher.

No formaldehyde here.

I think, on the next batch, I will
1.  Move the incubator into a bedroom that we close off.  It will be
cooler and the Hovabator will have to work harder to maintain a
temperature, but because it is further away from the woodstove, it
should need as much water regulation and therefore the humidity should
be a bit lower.
2. Start a mid-incubation cleaning protocol to reduce opportunistic
bacteria.

Thanks again, Karen.

Bev





Karen L. Black wrote:
> Bev writes:
>
> > Karen, is there any hope for chicks born with the yolk sac 
> > unabsorbed,
> or should these chicks be dispatched asap?  Both of mine that hatched
>  that way died.
>
> I'm not an expert on incubation or saving marginal chicks, and I'm 
> not interested in saving every last one of a rare breed, so if this 
> happened to me, I would dispatch them. They are more likely to die 
> anyway.
>
> I did a little poking around on the phenomenon, and it appears to 
> happen more if the incubator is kept at too high a humidity during 
> incubation (the egg doesn't lose enough water during development, 
> leading to oversized "wet" chicks), or the hatcher is too warm, or if
>  dirty eggs are set (giving the bacteria on the shell a chance to 
> infect chicks). Some of the terms you might look for are mushy chick 
> syndrome or omphalitis, or open navels.
>
> Karen Black Blodgett, OR 
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