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Large First Clutch!


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Hi there, :)

I put two pairs down to breed but only one pair laid eggs.

They have a total of 7 eggs, though the hen laid 10 in all.

All 7 are fertile, but I'm worried as by the time the last egg hatches, the oldest is going to be over 2 weeks old and I fear the youngest ones won't have much of a chance.

The hen also didn't lay every 2 days...!

Unfortunately, I don't have another pair to consider fostering. What can I do? If I should do anything at all.

I'm pretty sure she started incubating after the third egg which was the 21/10 so going by that hatching should start anytime after the 8/11.

Any info appreciated.

Thanks

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In many cases the last eggs don't hatch as they get dirty or addled by the business of feeding the other chicks.

 

If these are pet type birds and not club rung ones, they should be able to handle large clutch sizes well.

Also give daily soft food to the parents to help with feeding

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Don't worry about your chicks I had 2 pairs with 8 chicks this year, I lost one chick but the rest survived. Usually when I checked the little ones were snuggled right under bigger chicks, for warmth and comfort I suppose. Mother nature seems to work it all out rather well.

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Its a pity you don't have a pair to foster some of the eggs out too...

 

If you want to read up on some other people that have had large clutches and the like do a search for Omelette (think thats the right spelling) She is one of KAZ's birds and always hatches large clutches... might find it interesting reading.

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Okay, I know I'm going to sound stupid but I really am concerned and dumbfounded by this pair of birds.In the last couple of days the hen seems to have stopped sitting on eggs. She seems to spending a great deal of time outside the nest box...I thought they sat just about continuously, but maybe I'm wrong.She started sitting around the 21/10 after she laid her 3rd egg. So we were expecting the start of hatching from about now (give or take). She laid her last egg on the 31/10.I've been checking twice daily (very briefly) as her earliest 3 eggs (of which are not included in the 7 she is currently sitting on) were destroyed/eaten/? or whatever by parents and I wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again.All has been going swimmingly until a couple of days ago when she seemed to stop sitting and let the eggs go cold on a couple of occasions.I situated a lamp nearby to shine light and heat into the nest box in the hopes that the eggs wouldn't die.This seemed to encourage her to begin sitting again, but she stills seems to spend an extreme amount of time outside the box.Then this afternoon we discovered she'd laid yet another egg...10 days after her last.What I want to know is...What is going on with this hen? Is this normal? Does it mean all the other eggs are dead? I did candle the eggs and all were showing fertile.

I don't know what to do, if there's even something I can do. I can't throw out any eggs as I don't know which one is the new one. And I don't really want to in case there's still hope for them.Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks :P

Edited by dek21
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When you said the eggs went cold, do you mean cold to the touch? I suppose not 'cause otherwise they wouldn't be still showing fertile ....

 

Don't worry too much is she is on and off the eggs, we are experiencing warmer days and the eggs don't go cold very quickly- I have noticed that one of my hens is also doing this.

 

But I am going to assume that she is a maiden hen, which means she has yet to raise a round of chicks from go to woh.

 

And from the sounds of things she isn't entirely sure what she is doing so my question to you is, Is her partner a maiden cock or an experienced cock bird who is showing her the ropes?

 

As a rule I always try to pair a maiden bird with an experienced bird for the first round. Yes it means that I breed more birds than I desire but it also means that after that first 'learning' round I can basically make my ideal pairings with limited heartache.

 

But sometimes you only have one pair and so your options are limited.

 

Best of Luck!

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Hi Renee, as it happens they are the 2 birds that I bought off you last year...so yes they are both first timers.

And when I first realised she wasnt sitting as often as I thought she should be, I did find they were cold to the touch but not ice cold.

So do you think that the eggs will still be viable?

:P

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Hi Renee, as it happens they are the 2 birds that I bought off you last year...so yes they are both first timers.

And when I first realised she wasnt sitting as often as I thought she should be, I did find they were cold to the touch but not ice cold.

So do you think that the eggs will still be viable?

:D

 

Yes I figured they were that pair! Darned maiden show budgies :P

 

It is hard to say whether the eggs will die or not, I don't suppose you can foster the eggs?

 

Come round and pick up an experienced pair to complement them :D

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Just a month or two ago i had a first time hen lay 4 eggs and sit fine. After about 10 days she had a night fright, came off the eggs for a day or so and after 3 days started laying another 5 i think. 1 of the previous four somehow survived and was fostered out, the others all hatched too although a few died during a freakish cold snap (coldest cold snap in 30 years out of the blue).

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okay, well I'm back.

This pair that I have down have been together since end of September, beginning of October.

She laid a total of 10 eggs (last one laid on the 31/10).

As said in previous post she stopped sitting and seemed to abandon the eggs.

The seven (first 3 were destroyed) she was sitting on were all fertile but because she stopped sitting all died.

The eggs were only 2 or 3 days away from start of hatching when she stopped sitting.

There was no reason for her to stop sitting as far as I can tell. It seems she does not know what she is doing.

We were expecting hatching to begin around the 8/11. She abandoned eggs around the 6 or 7/11.

So far I have removed 4 or the 7 dead eggs as they went quite dark and obviously were dead.

She started laying again on the 10/11 and has a total of 9 eggs she's sitting on. 3 DIS eggs from the previous clutch. They should have well and truly have hatched by now but I haven't felt comfortable removing them from her as I don't want to disturb her too much. So I've left them in there.

She has now laid her 6th egg for this second clutch. I'm worried that this is taking a toll on the hen as this is her 16th egg since she started laying on the 8/10 (*** of a lot of eggs in 7 weeks).

I don't have a foster pair, I truly wish I did.

I'm worried about her continued laying of eggs and not hatching babies. It looks like there are a few fertile eggs (just going on colour) this round but I have not candled any to be sure. She has been sitting since laying the first egg of the second clutch so possibly get first hatching on the 28/11. Give or take!!!!!! :D

What should or can I do?

I don't want her to get sick with laying so many eggs.

I don't want to seem to be a pain in the butt...but I'm not sure what can be done for them, if anything at all.

:(

I'm sorry if I seem like I'm rehashing old news...but I really am concerned for the budgies.

Please help!!!

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Have you been giving her extra calcium ? and if so in what form ?

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Yes, they have a calcium bell in the cage.

Should I be giving them more than that.

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Calcium bells are good, but you should also provide some liquid calcium, in the form of calcivet, in their water

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The offer of an experienced foster pair is still open to you :D

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The offer of an experienced foster pair is still open to you :D

 

 

Unfortunately, I don't have the room to buy any more birds until I get my large aviary up and running, but thank you for the offer.

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The offer of an experienced foster pair is still open to you :D

 

 

Unfortunately, I don't have the room to buy any more birds until I get my large aviary up and running, but thank you for the offer.

Renee is offering for you to bring the babies to her to be fostered...not trying to sell you budgies.

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The offer of an experienced foster pair is still open to you :D

Unfortunately, I don't have the room to buy any more birds until I get my large aviary up and running, but thank you for the offer.

Renee is offering for you to bring the babies to her to be fostered...not trying to sell you budgies.

Actually I am offering to "loan" you 2 experienced birds as currently my remaining pairs have chicks at the 2 1/2 week plus age. :(

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The offer of an experienced foster pair is still open to you :)

Unfortunately, I don't have the room to buy any more birds until I get my large aviary up and running, but thank you for the offer.

Renee is offering for you to bring the babies to her to be fostered...not trying to sell you budgies.

Actually I am offering to "loan" you 2 experienced birds as currently my remaining pairs have chicks at the 2 1/2 week plus age. :)

Sorry, but how can loaning two birds help with eggs that are already here ? :D The birds wouldnt surely just take over the rearing of chicks unless they were in breeding mode or on eggs themselves......and they wouldnt be doing that if they were moved or rehomed right now ............. Maybe I dont get what you mean Renee :(

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The offer of an experienced foster pair is still open to you :)

Unfortunately, I don't have the room to buy any more birds until I get my large aviary up and running, but thank you for the offer.

Renee is offering for you to bring the babies to her to be fostered...not trying to sell you budgies.

Actually I am offering to "loan" you 2 experienced birds as currently my remaining pairs have chicks at the 2 1/2 week plus age. :)

Sorry, but how can loaning two birds help with eggs that are already here ? :D The birds wouldnt surely just take over the rearing of chicks unless they were in breeding mode or on eggs themselves......and they wouldnt be doing that if they were moved or rehomed right now ............. Maybe I dont get what you mean Renee :(

Well it seems pretty clear to me that the hen has no clue what she is doing and requires an experienced cock bird to show her the ropes - hence the "loan" of a sure-fire breeder cock bird.

 

The same offer is available for the young cock bird: an experienced hen to help him through the first time.

 

As for the eggs that are already here .... well the way things are going you are going to very lucky if that hen (bless her) is going to brood correctly or know what to do when the chicks hatch.

 

I do have one pair still on eggs and by all means if a chick hatches in the next week you are welcome to bring the chick over asap BUT I cannot guarantee its survival as this hen in question is an unknown quantity as this is the first time I am breeding with her - she is not a maiden hen but a bought bird so I do not know her breeding habits.

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so Renee you are offering to loan good breeders, split the current pair, let the two pairs breed, and then take back your birds? Very generous.

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generous but pretty pointless the hen wont learn to raise if she doesnt have a chick to learn with

myself if i was you do you know anyone who would live close by who has mabe a 3 day old chick that you could place in the nest when second egg due ???

as that would get the hen to feed and also raise one bub so next time thibgs will run smooth

this is what happens putting only on or two pairs up you need at least 3 to 4 pairs each time you breed for encases like this

and this hen should not be breed straight again not for at least 6 or more months hence why rens offer not very efichant

Edited by GenericBlue
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Thank you Renee for the offer of the loan birds, but at present it won't really help with current eggs and I would really like to save these ones if I can. I may take you up on your offer another day if I decide to breed these birds again. :wub:

 

I think, with this situation, it will be a matter of a waiting game. All I can do is hope that she can bring this clutch to hatching and get it right. If she abandons these eggs like the last lot I will retire her till next season and maybe try her again then.

I'm off the shops to get calcivet this morning. Is there anything else that would benefit the budgies?

 

Thanks everyone for your help. :o

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Just wanted to update on my pair the subject of this topic...well, she abandoned the last of the eggs again just days from when they were on the verge of hatching.

She laid a total of 19 eggs in just under 8 weeks and not one did hatch.

They are out in the aviary now for a much deserved rest. I'm so disappointed as most of the eggs were fertile.

But I suppose that, like humans, you have some that are naturally good parents and some that aren't.

I may try her again much later, but I think I'll try and have a better setup (as in foster parents available). :)

Oh well, better luck next time.

Thanks for all the advice.

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Just wanted to update on my pair the subject of this topic...well, she abandoned the last of the eggs again just days from when they were on the verge of hatching.

She laid a total of 19 eggs in just under 8 weeks and not one did hatch.

They are out in the aviary now for a much deserved rest. I'm so disappointed as most of the eggs were fertile.

But I suppose that, like humans, you have some that are naturally good parents and some that aren't.

I may try her again much later, but I think I'll try and have a better setup (as in foster parents available). :)

Oh well, better luck next time.

Thanks for all the advice.

Sorry it didn't work out for you this time around. Try putting her to an experienced cock bird next time - that should help, it just sounds as if she wasn't ready emotionally to cope with the process. Having fosters lined up if she has problems should help too.

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Take the box off them over the summer months. Put it back in early February after it rains next.

Avoid disturbing her and hold the expectation that she will work it out for herself.

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