These three tips can help prevent hatching mushy baby chicks in your incubator. Mushy chicks is caused by an infection in newly hatched baby chickens or turkeys from bacteria that enters the chicks body through the umbilical opening.. Symptoms of mushy chicks is a soft swollen abdomen and a very foul smell (2).
Baby Chicks Photo by CHOE
Take these three steps to prevent mushy chicks:
Candle eggs before incubating
Candle your eggs before you put them in the incubator
When you candle the eggs you will be able to see if an egg is fertile or not. After candling your eggs you should make sure the eggs are clean and dry. You can wipe them off with a slightly damp but not wet lint-free cloth. Eggs are porous and will quickly absorb the moisture if the cloth is too wet and you could end up with mushy chicks.
Make sure you follow the instructions carefully for your incubator. If you have lost the instructions you may be able to locate them on the manufacturer's website. A general rule of thumb is too monitor the temperature and moisture levels inside the incubator.
Temperature control
Control the Temperature inside your incubator
The temperature should be kept between 95-99 F inside the incubator at all times. Humidity Control
Control the Moisture Levels (humidity) inside the incubator to prevent mushy chicks. For the first 19 days the humidity should be kept at 40-50%.
The humidity should be 65% or more after 19 days to prevent chicks from getting stuck inside the egg shell.
Candle eggs before incubating
Candle your eggs before you put them in the incubator
When you candle the eggs you will be able to see if an egg is fertile or not. After candling your eggs you should make sure the eggs are clean and dry. You can wipe them off with a slightly damp but not wet lint-free cloth. Eggs are porous and will quickly absorb the moisture if the cloth is too wet and you could end up with mushy chicks.
Make sure you follow the instructions carefully for your incubator. If you have lost the instructions you may be able to locate them on the manufacturer's website. A general rule of thumb is too monitor the temperature and moisture levels inside the incubator.
Temperature control
Control the Temperature inside your incubator
The temperature should be kept between 95-99 F inside the incubator at all times. Humidity Control
Control the Moisture Levels (humidity) inside the incubator to prevent mushy chicks. For the first 19 days the humidity should be kept at 40-50%.
The humidity should be 65% or more after 19 days to prevent chicks from getting stuck inside the egg shell.
References:
- Avian Aqua Miser. http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Humidity_during_chicken_incubation/
- Definition of Mushy Chicks. Merriam Webster. Retrieved on August 22, 2020. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mushy%20chick#:~:text=%3A%20a%20nonspecific%20and%20highly%20fatal,body%20through%20the%20umbilical%20opening
