Hi, I have a question, I have a pair of budgies that I've tried to breed but I think that the hen isn't fertile as none of her eggs are. I tried to breed her twice last season to no luck. I tried to breed her again this season again to no luck! I'm very emotionaly attatched to my birds and really feel sorry for her as I feel that she should be a great little mum if she had the chance. So my question is, could I take the eggs of one pair who have already laid 3 eggs and are still laying, and put them under my infertile pair to raise? And will the pair that I take the eggs from keep laying to make up a clutch for themselves to raise? Confusing I know (sorry)!

Yes you could do that. Keep 1 or 2 of the infertile eggs and then add the fertile ones from the other nest to the infertile hens nest box. That way she will keep incubating, you can move the infertile ones once you replace them with the fertile ones if you want. YEs the other hen will lay as many eggs as she wants.

Thanks for that Pearce, I wasn't sure if it would be to much on the other hen if she had to keep laying eggs but I really want to give my infertile hen a go. The fertile hen always has beutiful babies so I will get 2 lots of her babies ( sort of)

Depends on a few things........

How long has the infertile hen been sitting on her own eggs ?

Has the eggs you intend to transfer begun being incubated or not ?

 

If you transfer eggs to a hen that has sat long enough on her own infertile eggs...thats is almost the full amount of time, then sometimes she will toss out the new eggs you give her along with hers as they sometimes do, when they have sat long enough with no result.

 

Secondly...eggs transferred generally need to be at the same stage as the ones you toss out.

 

My answer would be....leave the hen sitting on her infertile eggs and as chicks arrive in the other nest...put a couple of newly hatched chicks in the infertile hens nest with her eggs.

okay, not sure if it will work though because infertile hen has been sitting for about 2 weeks and fertile only started laying 1 week ago roughly!! so infertiles eggs would have been due before fertiles eggs (If that makes sense?) I'm confusing myself here!!! Maybe I should just leave it.

I think you would be able to transfer the eggs. I've transfered 1 day old eggs to a nest with 10 day old eggs before and it went sucessfull.

Aslong as the chicks hatch at roughly the same time (every 2 days) you should be fine.

 

I would get 5 fertile eggs from fertile nest. Put them in infertile nest and remove ALL infertile eggs.

Then all eggs in infertile nest will be fertile and they will all be hatching around the same time.

I think you would be able to transfer the eggs. I've transfered 1 day old eggs to a nest with 10 day old eggs before and it went sucessfull.

Aslong as the chicks hatch at roughly the same time (every 2 days) you should be fine.

 

I would get 5 fertile eggs from fertile nest. Put them in infertile nest and remove ALL infertile eggs.

Then all eggs in infertile nest will be fertile and they will all be hatching around the same time.

Sounds good Pearce.

I would be puting the fertile egg over to the other hen as you test then.to see if they are fertile,you will have to mark the eggs as you transfer them over.Or better still mark the non fertile eggs & as you transfer the fertile eggs over,throw away a non fertile egg.

I would be puting the fertile egg over to the other hen as you test then.to see if they are fertile,you will have to mark the eggs as you transfer them over.Or better still mark the non fertile eggs & as you transfer the fertile eggs over,throw away a non fertile egg.

Good plan Macka