Slugs suck

Last year, one of my females produced 5 eggs, 1 went bad during incubation. This year she produced 5 again, but 2 were the little brown runt slugs.

Just in general, is there any way at all to reduce the chance of slugs?

At least your situation is better than mine man. My female caramel albino(I bred her with male Pastel) just laid 7 eggs, all six of them are slugs...ouch.

I'm looking forward to hear comment from other breeders in here as well.

Well, theories range the gamut from the male being the problem to the female just not being ready or fertilized at the appropriate time.

Depends on the situation, really.

That sucks for both of you. That clutch from your caramel really was crapola, man. Out of 5 clutches this year I got 2 slugs from a 7 egg clutch and 1 slug from a six egg clutch. I also had a girl push 2 eggs out from a 6 egg pastel clutch that were fertile, but didn't make it. I candled them and had to rotate one of the eggs, but they were both lost.

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

Well, theories range the gamut from the male being the problem to the female just not being ready or fertilized at the appropriate time.

Depends on the situation, really.

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I don't think it is the male. I have a het. albino female that has given me 2 good eggs each year and 4 slugs each year. I changed males the second year as to not repeat the first disaster and she did anyway. The male for the second year was a DH who was with 2 other females and they gave me good clutches. I say it is the female.

If you talk with breeder's with ultrasounds, especially the barkers, they tell you that slugs are caused by a handful of things which cause premature ovulation.

Since the eggs develop asynchronously (independently) some when ovulated too soon turn into slugs....others that are farther along end up becoming eggs. That's basically why you sometimes get slugs and eggs as opposed to all slugs or all eggs.

Some of the top causes:
Handling/palpating prior to ovulation
Feeding prior to ovulation
Temps above 82 degrees prior to ovulation

I'm trying a couple different things this next year to hopefully avoid slug heavy clutches like I had this last year. (two 9 egg clutches that had 8 slugs)

Hope I'm getting my info right but that's what I remember reading and talking with Tracy about.

:)