bijou

I don't have nest boxes, nor have I ever. They're laying them on the floor of the cage and brooding there, with no males, no nesting material... by themselves of their own free will (much to my dismay). I don't really understand why I would bag the eggs in plastic and put them in a plastic bin? What would that accomplish? It seems a little sick actually. If I remove the eggs without replacing them with "fake" eggs, they will continue to lay until they have a full clutch. This has been talked about and demonstrated for eons and it is never suggested to remove the eggs without replacements. The hen will continue to lay, putting her health in danger (calcium deficiencies, potential egg binding...). If anyone has an answer to any of my previous questions, I would VERY much appreciate it! Thanks!

Two of my females decided to lay eggs. I had to seperate them from each other and the rest of the flock because they were fighting quite violently before I knew they were going to lay eggs. So, I have two females, with probably mostly fertile eggs. I seperated the males from their "mates" after they started laying so they wouldn't fertilize, but I think one or two may be fertile. I do NOT want to breed budgies! We have 9, and take in rescues and don't really even believe in breeding, so we're in kind of a pickle. We live over 2 hours away from civilization (literally), so we had to wait a few days to make a voyage to a craft store for marbles with which to replace the eggs. I want to candle the eggs to make sure nothing has formed inside before I replace them with marbles. So, my first question is, how easy is it to tell with a small flashlight, and what do I do if there is something formed inside? How long does an egg need to be forming before it is considered cruel to throw out? I do not want an egg to hatch unnecessarilly, but I also don't want to live with the guilt and shame of knowing I might have killed a baby bird! I have never bread, and have obviously read up on it a lot as of late, so as to provide the brooders with proper eggnant care, but I am certainly in no position to breed budgies, nor do I want to be! Any advice would be HUGELY appreciated!