Hi Guys,

 

I have a pair of Show budgies and this is the hens 3rd clutch (2nd this year) and she has now laid 10 eggs over the past 2 weeks or so ( the first bub hatched today). I think she is a bit immature and she only really can handle 2 - 3 babies so my question is. What should I do to all the eggs ? Can I move them to another nest with a surrgogant mother ?

 

Love to hear your thoughts?

 

Richard.

If you have another nest with eggs about due to hatch and not too many of them you can remove live chicks to the other nest. Or move chicks to a nest with chicks same sort of age.

Its better to move chicks than fertile eggs, but move the eggs if you have to.

If you have another nest with eggs about due to hatch and not too many of them you can remove live chicks to the other nest. Or move chicks to a nest with chicks same sort of age.

Its better to move chicks than fertile eggs, but move the eggs if you have to.

very good advice the best way to do it

Also........have you candled the eggs to see how many are fertile ?

this is the hens 3rd clutch (2nd this year) and she has now laid 10 eggs over the past 2 weeks or so ( the first bub hatched today). I think she is a bit immature and she only really can handle 2 - 3 babiesRichard.

How immature ?

Hi KAZ,

 

Thanks for the info.

 

The hen is around 2 yrs I think, but I think she is immature in the mind LOL

I havent touched the eggs yet - how can I tell it they are not fertalised ?

 

I have another hen that is paired off, she has been mating but not laid yet. I dont have any other pairs right now.

 

What would you do?

 

Richard.

Well you cant move the eggs to the other pair anyway as she hasnt begun to lay and the eggs you are thinking of moving have been incubated. So you dont have a back up plan at all.

You can candle them to see if they have anything in them, or you can tell by the colour. A fertile egg looks pearly white. An infertile egg looks peachy pink.

 

Read this http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...=fertile%20eggs

Edited August 16, 201014 yr by KAZ

Thanks for that, Interesting about the colour of the eggs.

 

I may just have to see how she goes with them and if the other hen lays soon, I will see then.

 

You never know, she may surprise me this time round.

 

Richard.

Thanks for that, Interesting about the colour of the eggs.

 

I may just have to see how she goes with them and if the other hen lays soon, I will see then.

 

You never know, she may surprise me this time round.

 

Richard.

 

You cant use your other hen to incubate any of these eggs.

 

If you at least work out if some are infertile you can remove those so she isnt trying to cover all her eggs.

okay, then i'll have a look then and see if I can notice any infertile eggs.

 

thanks again for the great advice.

 

Richard.

she has now laid 10 eggs over the past 2 weeks or so ( the first bub hatched today).

 

Richard.

 

It takes 21 days to lay ten eggs, and thats why your first hatching has happened already. Incubation is 18-21 days. So assuming they are all fertile ( hope not ) they are all due to hatch every two days from now.

Even if all fertile some may not hatch. they may not hatch if she knocks them all around the nestbox addling them. They wont all hatch if the eggs get poopy from the other chicks which will happen over another 21 days it takes to hatch ten eggs.

The reason I said you cant add them to the nest of a female who hasnt yet begun to lay her own eggs is.............even if she starts laying, she wont be incubating until she has at least three eggs. Any eggs you transfer will need incubating immediately as they have been incubated already. Any incubated eggs may not survive if the order in which they were being rotated in and out from under the hen ( they do this to keep temp constant ) has changed. Unless you marked eggs in turn of being laid you will transfer eggs all out of sequence.

 

Always pays to set up several pairs to breed at the same time so you have a backup plan for these kinds of situations.

Edited August 16, 201014 yr by KAZ

Hi Kaz,

 

Yeah I understand, thanks for the info. Well so far so good, we have 5 bubs now and counting, and yes we have been getting a new one every second day. I just hope there is enough room as being English Budgies they seem to fill up th nest box rather quickly.

 

I did look for infertile eggs but it semed they were all fertile, Mum has moved some eggs to the outside of the box as is not sitting on them so i'll she what she has in mind, I guess five is a handful already. Dad is working really well to ensure everyone is well fed, he is so pedantic about his families - great bird.

 

Anyway thanks again for the great advice, i'll keep it all noted for next time round.

 

Richie.