Raven has laid 3 eggs so far and two of them have been eaten. She laid the third one sometime this morning and I am worried that it has no chance. When she is in the box all you hear is scraping and bedding being moved around. What should I do? Does this mean that she is not ready to be bred or that she will not become a good mother?

 

I was getting ready to set up a second pair for breeding. Tiki and Caeser are going to be first time parents too. Should I move the third egg out and put it in the other breeding box that is going to Caeser and Tiki? I don't feel comfortable leaving the egg in Jake and Raven's care.

 

I tried to do research on breeding but expierience is the true way to learn, so as the title mentions, any advice will be greatly appreciated!!!

 

~Misty

Thats a pity. BUT you cannot put another birds egg in an empty nest thats about to become a pairs nesting box as they will destroy it as part of cleaning up the nesting box. If they had begun to lay, then you could add it.

Daz had a solution for egg eating hens with a nesting box with a false bottom that allows the egg to go underneath the box and be saved. Maybe you could search for that topic. It may have been added to our FAQs.

 

PS egg eaters usually keep doing it.

Edited June 12, 200718 yr by **KAZ**

Thanks for the info. I will look into that. I feel like I did something wrong but I know that I didn't. I will definately be asking questions as they arise.

 

~Misty

Edited June 12, 200718 yr by **KAZ**

I don't know what your setup is, but it is possible your hen has a strong urge to breed but for whatever reason is nervous once the eggs are laid. Her actions sound like nervous behavior to me. Is this her first clutch? What is the setup like? How old is she and her mate? Any previous clutches? What is the traffic flow in the area her cage or aviary is in? How often do you check the box? Unfortunately as Kaz said, once hens get into the habit of destroying eggs they don't usually work out as breeders. Best if you can figure out what might be making her uneasy and nipping it in the bud.

Hi,

 

Sorry to hear this is happening. I thought that hens may eat their eggs if they don't have enough calcium?

 

Just what I've heard. I had a hen who laid six eggs and then between laying the 5th and 6th egg she ate one - only one She did this through two clutches.

 

I then upped the soft food I was feeding and added calcium to her water and she never ate any more?

 

???

I don't know what your setup is, but it is possible your hen has a strong urge to breed but for whatever reason is nervous once the eggs are laid. Her actions sound like nervous behavior to me. Is this her first clutch? What is the setup like? How old is she and her mate? Any previous clutches? What is the traffic flow in the area her cage or aviary is in? How often do you check the box? Unfortunately as Kaz said, once hens get into the habit of destroying eggs they don't usually work out as breeders. Best if you can figure out what might be making her uneasy and nipping it in the bud.

 

 

This is her first clutch, and she is about a year and half old. Her mate Jake is about the same age but a couple months older. The traffic area is quite low. It is in a bedroom with the other cage and soon to be second pair. I chack the box about 3 times a day just to make sure everything is okay. I will limit that to one if needed.

 

As for the set up there is two perches one lower near the nest box and one higher. Plenty of fresh water and seeds are provided as well as some breeding food. Millet and a honey treat are in there for them to get extra food if needed. They have a cuttle bone and an calcium block in their cage as well.

 

~Misty

I dont believe egg eating has anything to do with a lack of calcium. I believe it has more to do with...

1. sometimes the hen is too young and immature to handle knowing what to do with her eggs

2. sometimes its through stress

3. sometimes the hen is as "dumb as a bucket of bricks" and doesnt recognise that the egg came from her or that she needs to do anything with it. She sees it as a strange thing presented to her ( doesnt relate to it like she just laid it ) ...and then tries to nibble it. Once the shell is broken it gets eaten as a food source.

 

I had a hen once that not only ate her eggs but the chicks within the eggs. I know why...it was stress as there was a mouse invasion at the time and they were going into the nesting boxes. I know the hen ate the eggs and chicks as I saw her do it. Cant have been because of calcium deficiencies as the she was eating chicks not only eggshell. Also, my birds get all the supplements and best of foods regardless of costs.

Lets face it, budgies ( like people ) come in all form of personalities and all grades of intelligence. Some, like I said are as dumb as a bucket of bricks and then there are the smart ones ( like "our Blinkie" and others ). We just have to work out our flocks according to all the variables and proceed to manage them as best we can.

Edited June 12, 200718 yr by **KAZ**

I agree with Kaz. I have had a budgie who ate two eggs, the first was damaged and the second one was infertile. All the other eggs were fetile and hatched.

 

This sounds like a possibly young inexperienced budgie who is seeing the eggs as a food source.

 

 

Feathers.

From what you say about her still scraping & making noise in the nest, it doesn’t sound like she has finished her “cleaning the nest stage”...Usually after the first egg is laid, this ceases, but with this being her first batch, maybe she is still trying to clean the nest & accidentally breaks the egg, then proceeds to eat it, to clean things up. I hope she settles down, but like Kaz says, some birds are just failures, in nature they wouldn’t succeed in raising young & die out. I would give her a bit more time & if it fails then rest her & try again later. If it happens again, just forget about breeding with her.

Well Raven is laying on egg number 3 and 4. She seems to have calmed down a little so we shall see.

good luck.