High proportion dead in shell

[stevebelbin]

Hi Steve

Yes, first year in racing. I usually check the egg around 5 days for fertility, and again at about 10/14days to make sure all is ok, then they are left. I scrape out the boxes each day but they dont come off the eggs when I am doing that.

The hens were on Natural 4 seasons corn mix which was diluted by equal parts barley

 

Maybe a good idea to get the droppings tested then, to be on the safe side. If the birds are carriers of something, you may experience high losses when racing!

 

 

[OLDYELLOW]

get them tested remove any doubt , i dont know where abouts you are or if you have access to a good vet however Northern Hygene specialise in Avian Health and have kept my birds in top condition for many years , they will send kits out total cost £35 heres there address ectra:

Business name NORTHERN HYGIENE LABORATORIES LTD

Description MICROBIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL TESTING OF FOOD SAMPLES, MICROBIOLOGICAL TESTING OF WATER SAMPLES, HYGIENE TESTING AND TRAINING IN THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS

Address THORPE HOUSE,  

Locality KELLYTHORPE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE

DRIFFIELD

EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE

YO25 9DJ

Telephone 01377 241945

Fax 01377 241910

Email info@northernhygiene.co.uk

Company type Private

Professional bodies UKAS ACCREDITED - DEFRA APPROVED

[Guest Paulo]

I've had one dead in the shell and one set of eggs not filled but I put it down in my case to the bad cold snap we had when we paired up in december.

 

The other young birds that have hatched out all seem healthy

[DeDarren]

Dead in shell can also be caused by a deficiency of Riboflavin in the diet prior to and during the time the pigeons have been paired up. I hope you get sorted out, if only for your peace of mind mate.  

[Guest wattle]

it could be nesting material to cold and if you shake the eggs to much while checking for fertility you can damage the egg inside  

[Guest stevie-b]

other fanciers have touched on it u need to split u r pigeons treat them with parastop or a similar product for 14 days vitamins for 3 days then inject them for paratyphoid as per manufactures instruction then vits again

[pigeonscout]

 

you couldn't get any closer than mine - and it doesn't bother them at all - they don't budge an inch - so I doubt that its noise - as these trains pass every 15 minutes - more often at peak times - and we have several run through the night as well (I sleep at the front of the house (evil) )

 

 

Joop Koch a world champion also has a rail track not more than 10 yards from the back of his loft.

[pigeonscout]

A friend of mine had a couple of young die in nest about 8 days old I went round to his house and we talked over all the things it could have been. On leaving his house that night he put on his security light so I could see my way to my car. As soon as he put the light on I could hear his birds starting to call I look at his loft and the light was shining right into it. I went over to the loft just in time to see some birds leave the nest and unto the floor. Could it be that when he had this light on the night before the birds left the nest and when light went off again they could not find their way back onto the nest? I think so. Sometimes when things go wrong with young in the nest it is not always the obvious.

[JohnV]

Dead in shell can also be caused by a deficiency of Riboflavin in the diet prior to and during the time the pigeons have been paired up. I hope you get sorted out, if only for your peace of mind mate.  

 

We should also consider that many of the sulfa drugs we give our birds, are successful because they inhibit folate synthesis which is important to bacteria (which is why it is an antibacterial) and unfortunately, pigeon egg embryos.  I am not in favor of treating the breeders with these sulfa drugs during egg production nor during pigeon milk production.  Folate or folic acid is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth.

 

I suggest you give these sulfa based products several weeks prior to breeding, then supplement with folic acid B9.  If you want to know which sulfa drugs to be aware of, go to this wikipedia page:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfonamide_(medicine)

 

You will need to click on each of the family names under "List of sulfonamides" to get the trade names of the folic acid inhibiting drugs to avoid during breeding as not all sulfa drugs inhibit folate synthesis.

 

This of course is just my opinion, do some reading for yourselves on this subject.  It is at least something to be aware of and to plan around as breeding season approaches.

[Guest j.bamling]

It could be a lot of things but Peter Fox of Syndicate Lofts told me they dont feed any Barley to there stock pigeons before and during the pairing and laying process as in his opinion this can cause the shell to be thick and the yb has trouble getting out of the shell !!! I myself have always fed barley to my stock prior to pairing them to take the weight down a bit and have always had one or two dead in the shell however last year i didnt feed them any barley at all and i didnt have 1 !!! just a thought !!

jimmy

[greenlands]

It could be a lot of things but Peter Fox of Syndicate Lofts told me they dont feed any Barley to there stock pigeons before and during the pairing and laying process as in his opinion this can cause the shell to be thick and the yb has trouble getting out of the shell !!! I myself have always fed barley to my stock prior to pairing them to take the weight down a bit and have always had one or two dead in the shell however last year i didnt feed them any barley at all and i didnt have 1 !!! just a thought !!

jimmy

 

Good post Jimmy ,I suspect most fanciers are pumping barley into their birds at the moment,if you're pairing soon, now's the time to start cutting back and giving them a good mixture of your choice.

 

 

[Guest strapper]

treating birds just after pairing is a no no!...its well known that some medications can affect fertility for a short time,including some canker treatments...remember it can..doesnt mean it will in all cases.

 

use all your treatments weeks b4 pairing..dont risk wasting a round of eggs.

 

salmonela also a cause for concern with clear eggs.

[kev43]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;Dthis is the best one yet a puppy giving the pigeons paratyphiod etc.

 

no1 says its the puppy givin pigeons para the member says it cud b y birds are leavin the nest bcos ov the noise,,,, u really are hopeless at pickin things up whats wrote infront ov u i would hate 2 give u advice when it not wrote down would b totally pointless READ WHAT IT SAYS CAREFULLY B4 U COMMENT,,,, ;D  ;D ;D ;D ;D SACKLESS

[Guest Owen]

It sounds like it could be paratyphoid. You will need a vet to check that because it would take a culture to identify it for certain. You mentioned vitamin D deficiency. If that were the case you would have some hens with egg binding problems. However, it is essential that breeding pigeons have access to fresh grit daily and sunlight. Egg binding can be sorted out by giving the hen a clcium tablet. You get them from the local Chemist. And you can supply the birds with liquid calcium which can be bought at any good Corn Supplier or Agrigcultural Supplier.

You also mentioned the use of a dimmer. It is always a bad idea to use dimmers. I kept chicken for years and never used a dimmer. Set the timer to come on early in the morning and allow the birds to go to bed with the natural twilight. There is never a reason to use dimmers because they nearly always cause you problems. Then there is the question of when you paired up. Male pigeons are not ready to breed properly until their testicles enlarge as a result of the increased light in the Springtime. Obviously you can influence the situation by providing artificial light. But if you do this too early and not give the birds time to complete the moult you will not allow them to gain the fitness they need to breed really good youngsters. The best early breeders have usually been split up from their last year's partners early enough to recover well from the rigours of breeding last year. It is very important that they are fit and fresh to get them in the right condition to breed properly. You also mentioned the dog next door. I would doubt if that would influence matters unless of course it is at extreme levels. Pigeons soon get used to noise providing that they do not feel threatened. Mind you rats and mice can and do cause the birds to leave their nests at night. If it is rats they will usually kill birds and eat at the crops to get at the grain in them. If it is mice you ought to see the droppings scattered around when you clean up.

I hope I have given you something to go on,

Best regards

Owen