# Entire Clutch DIS



## Amatiq (Jan 7, 2016)

My young beginner pair had a 3rd clutch (I pulled the eggs on clutch number 2 and replaced with duds so she'd take a break). 
They've sat on them perfectly, humidity levels are good, and they ought to have started pipping today or tomorrow. 5 eggs laid, 3 candled fertile. Egg number 1 had the air cell tilted and ready to go yesterday.
Today I did nestbox check, and all 3 fertile eggs are gray and blotchy. DIS. I could just freaking sit down and bawl. I separated my other pair, so I would only have one clutch to deal with, and now nothing.
What on earth could have gone wrong? I was home all day yesterday and they're in my bedroom...I'd have noticed if they went off the eggs for a while. Mom had separated one egg yesterday morning to cool it off, I presume, and it was white and pretty and ready to go.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

I'm honestly not so sure why they were DIS. Something had to have happen, and it doesn't mean it's your fault. I found this collage that has some explanation on what might have happened.


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## Amatiq (Jan 7, 2016)

yeah, I know, it has to be some event to have happened just like that. I had a tiny humidifier going some, because earlier this year I had issues with humidity being too low, and the little gadget I got was reading an ok humidity, but maybe it got too high?
Such a bummer.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Wait, I'm pretty sure I know what's going on. I think I read somewhere that for the last days of an egg, the humidity is supposed to be very low. I think the humidity was the cause.


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## Janalee (Jul 25, 2012)

*Clutch DIS*

AWWW...so sorry to hear that; that must be terribly disappointing. I hope you have the problem solved and will have better luck next time!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It seems to more likely to me that the eggs either got chilled somehow, or maybe there was some kind of infection. For example if there was any mold in the box, or if the hen has a problem that got transmitted to the eggs while she was making them. 

There are lots of people breeding birds successfully in high-humidity locations, so unless you were keeping the humidity somewhere close to 100% it seems unlikely that this was the problem. The following quote applies to the required humidity level in incubators not parent-hatched eggs, which is a different set of circumstances. But according to https://www.extension.umn.edu/food/.../poultry/hatching-and-brooding-small-numbers/ 

"The moisture level in the incubator should be about 50 to 55 percent relative humidity, with an increase to about 65 percent for the last 3 days of incubation. "

You can get away with lower humidity with parent-hatched eggs. According to https://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/Humidity.aspx

"In natural incubation the membranes cannot dry quickly because the parent bird is sitting on the egg but in an incubator drying membranes can be a problem."

The humidity level is most critical at hatch time, and that's the only time that I run a humidifier. I live in the desert and my humidity gauge reads 16% most of the time because it can't go any lower than that. The actual humidity level is probably around 5-10%. Even with the humidifier it only gets up to about 30% not the 50% that I've read is ideal. And the 30% is good enough to get the job done.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

That's sounds right. I got mixed up. Haven't bred birds for quite some time. Guess my memory is slightly slipping from me. 

It does make more sense that they got chilled or an infection.


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## ninfatiel (Jul 22, 2016)

I dont know if you still have those DIS eggs? You may consider opening them up (thats what I do with mine) to try to understand the reason. For example,if it was bacterial infestation-the yolk turns green,if its humidity-chick would be plumped up. Also if hens diet was poor while laying-DiS may also happen,the baby is to weak to hatch. Susanne Russo has a n article that may be helpful,the above image is from that article http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/candling-eggs.html


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## Amatiq (Jan 7, 2016)

I opened them up: chicks looked plump, no green or mold, just dead. All the blood vessels had turned dark and blackish. I had houseguests come in, so if you all don't think the humidity was the problem, then I guess they must have gotten chilled: maybe the hen heard the guests and came off the eggs long enough to chill them. One chick had the slanted air pocket and was clearly about to pip.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

At least you can safely rule out an infection as the cause. Chilling is pretty common, and I'm sorry you and your babies had to deal with that. At least we grow from our past experiences, and can use them to better our clutches in the future.


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