Infertile eggs and embryo death in canaries and finches

Cause: Obese birds, or an unsuitable age, or inbreeding, or low humidity, or vitamin E or B deficiency, or infection · Type: Husbandry

Other names: Empty eggs، A dead chick in the egg

Symptoms

• The egg shows no veins when you check it with light after 5-7 days
• A dead chick inside the egg near hatching

How it spreads

Depends on the cause.

Diagnosis

Candling the eggs on day 5-7, and examining the eggs that did not hatch.

Treatment

Correct the cause: humidity of 55-70% during breeding, a diet, vitamins, and unrelated pairs. (All under veterinary supervision.)

Prevention

A bath for the mother in the last days before hatching (in canaries), avoiding inbreeding, and suitable food.

Season

Dry summer and khamaseen waves (low humidity)

Treatment and doses are decided by an avian vet after an exam; Zajel does not publish doses.

Other diseases

• Egg binding
• Chronic egg laying
• Egg yolk peritonitis
• Cloacal prolapse
• Feather plucking
• Overgrown claws and beak
• Heatstroke / heat stress
• Cold stress in adult birds and chicks

Sources

• KB (not web-verified this session): widely repeated aviculture/breeder consensus; treat with stated confidence