hi all again,

My Spangle Opaline Light Green hen (Mulley & stafford bird) laid an egg on the 6/5, but she laid it on the bottom of breeding cabinet so i put it in the nest box. i checked up on her later that day & i found the egg missing, she had eaten it . so i though she was an egg eater and i was ready to sell her to a pet shop. on the 8/5 she laid another egg on the bottom of the cage (for safe keeping i was told i could keep it for 1 week before it to late to incubate it). on Friday the 13th of may she laid another egg, but this time in the nestbox and she was laying on it so i take the chance and put the other egg back and was still laying on the eggs last time i check today around 4pm. fingers crossed she will be i good mother and not eat the chicks when the eggs hatch (if fertile).

Good luck with your breeding, quite normal for some hens to lay eggs on the floor, I just put them in the nest if they aren't damaged, when a hen eats the eggs I put a false one in the or a marble and she soon stops it but then you need another nest to out the eggs while she attacks the marbles.

two many breeders give up on a hen thinking she eats eggs so is ruined

i am very tolerant of these hens and have a very well working method to solve this issue with high success rate

if you want to hear it let us know

ill pm u

 

and no its not filling egg with anything lol

two many breeders give up on a hen thinking she eats eggs so is ruined

i am very tolerant of these hens and have a very well working method to solve this issue with high success rate

if you want to hear it let us know

ill pm u

 

and no its not filling egg with anything lol

 

hi genericblue, i would to hear it so i will be looking forward to your pm

Sometimes hens eat the eggs when they know they are empty or no hopers so keep that in mind too

 

I had a hen eat some eggs recently after laying them all in the nest box but I am willing to try again with her with some fake eggs handy.

The birds try and eat the fake eggs but soon give up.

the hen is still laying on the eggs & has not eaten them yet. i candled the eggs today they were clear, is it too early to candle them she has been laying on the eggs since Friday the 13th ?

A bit early.

I find when the hen lays her first egg most times she doesn't start sitting until she lays the second one which is normally 2 days after the first one is layed and then she lays every second day. Well once she starts sitting on the first 2 eggs normally by the time the 3rd or 4th one is layed the first one or two if she sits on them the say time should show fertility. But I have had young hens lay one egg and then I had to wait 3 or 4 days for the next one but then they lay every second day. Last year I had a young hen who laid every third.

the hen is still laying on the eggs & has not eaten them yet. i candled the eggs today they were clear, is it too early to candle them she has been laying on the eggs since Friday the 13th ?

yes to early wait at least a week 7 days

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<br />the hen is still laying on the eggs & has not eaten them yet. i candled the eggs today they were clear, is it too early to candle them she has been laying on the eggs since Friday the 13th ?<br />

<br />yes to early wait at least a week 7 days<br />

<br /><br /><br />

 

 

 

 

Thanks for that information GenericBlue & thanks for the pm that will be very helpful in the future.

The hen has laid another egg this morning, its going all fine so far no eaten eggs yet fingers crossed . only one thing i notice is that her poop is extremely large

This is normal..

When I read your first post, it made me think that perhaps the reason she ate that first egg after you put it in the nest was because she didn't know it was hers, and she wanted to clear the nest out for her own use. I have had hens who laid their first egg in the cage, and then I moved the egg to the nest, and they threw the egg out and then proceeded to lay the rest of their eggs in the nest. (But they didn't eat the 1st egg.) Maybe your hen just chose eating over throwing as her method of cleaning out the box.

I thought that too, she is still laying on the eggs 3 so far, yesterday i was in the birdroom feeding them greens (silver beet), & that hen was on the perch. the next thing i saw, she laid the egg right off the perch. the egg had no chance it broke. she has laid 5 so far, 1 eaten & 1 broke as she laid it.

Went in bird room first thing this morning, I found she had laid another egg on the bottom of the cage. lucky it did not brake, i put it in the nest box. so far so good she is still laying on the eggs. i candle the other eggs in one i could see it has red veins so i think it is fertile.

Another update found another egg laid of the perch it was badly cracked. . i think she is beyond help. but she is still laying on the other 4 eggs. i think i have learnt lesson do not buy bird from pet shops as you do not know their background .

sorry to hear that she still hasn't got the complete idea of laying. As you don't know her history this may be her first time.

 

4 eggs is a good amount for her to sit on. and yes the veins mean they are fertile.

sorry to hear that she still hasn't got the complete idea of laying. As you don't know her history this may be her first time.

 

4 eggs is a good amount for her to sit on. and yes the veins mean they are fertile.

 

 

 

maybe you are right there Nerwen. i think she has laid before and i think Mulley & Stafford got rid of her as she was laying eggs off the perch. she is a 2010 bird.

Hey guys just another update, she laid another egg on the bottom of the cage . But luckly it did not brake, i have put it in the nestbox she is on 5 eggs so far . I think her problem with laying eggs on the floor is not fixable. what do you guys think ???.

If she is a 2010 bird, she hasn't had much time to prove herself to be a bad breeder, to be given up on. I kind of don't think that would be a reason for them to get rid of her. It's more likely that this is her first time breeding. And maybe she just doesn't know what to do yet.

 

I would just watch her and see if her eggs hatch, and maybe she will turn out to be a better mother than she is a layer.

 

 

But if she turns out to be a bad mother, that doesn't mean she will stay a bad mother. I've had a first time hen that let all her chicks die, but the next time around she did a fabulous job.

 

 

So, try not to stress her out with your own worrying, but be prepared to step in to help her out if she needs it.

If she is a 2010 bird, she hasn't had much time to prove herself to be a bad breeder, to be given up on. I kind of don't think that would be a reason for them to get rid of her. It's more likely that this is her first time breeding. And maybe she just doesn't know what to do yet.

 

I would just watch her and see if her eggs hatch, and maybe she will turn out to be a better mother than she is a layer.

 

 

But if she turns out to be a bad mother, that doesn't mean she will stay a bad mother. I've had a first time hen that let all her chicks die, but the next time around she did a fabulous job.

 

 

So, try not to stress her out with your own worrying, but be prepared to step in to help her out if she needs it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thanks Finnie, i will give her a good chance to prove herself. Yesterday i put all the waste seed from all the other breeding cabinets in her cage to make to soft landing for the egg when she lays it. and just what it worked. I went in the bird room this morning and a found an egg on the bottom of the cage & it was not broken so i decided to foster it out to another pair. as i think 5 eggs is enough for her.

The mere drop of an egg from the perch, even if it doesnt break, can addle it enough so it doesnt hatch.

The mere drop of an egg from the perch, even if it doesnt break, can addle it enough so it doesnt hatch.

 

 

Thanks for that Kaz, so should i then throw them out or put them in the nest box and see if they hatch ?

The mere drop of an egg from the perch, even if it doesnt break, can addle it enough so it doesnt hatch.

 

 

Thanks for that Kaz, so should i then throw them out or put them in the nest box and see if they hatch ?

Candle them at the right time and then make the choice

The mere drop of an egg from the perch, even if it doesnt break, can addle it enough so it doesnt hatch.

 

 

Thanks for that Kaz, so should i then throw them out or put them in the nest box and see if they hatch ?

Candle them at the right time and then make the choice

 

 

 

Thanks fot that Kaz