Investigating embryo deaths and hatching failure

Investigation of all embryo and neonatal mortalities is essential for optimizing productivity in artificial incubation and hand rearing programs. Because artificial incubation is a complex process with many variables, thorough and systematic evaluations are necessary to identify potential problems. Every step of the process from egg lay through incubation and hatching should be evaluated in conjunction with comprehensive data on management of the breeding population. The most common sources of significant problems include nutrition and management of the breeding population, insufficient parental incubation prior to artificial incubation, abnormal egg weight loss during incubation, and infections of the yolk sac or umbilicus.