August 10, 201113 yr Author Massive setback When I candled the fallow's eggs last night, I used scrunched up newspaper to block the hole, so the hen wouldn't come back in. turns out, I forgot to take it out. When I went out to check on them this morning to see for new chicks, The hen had pushed it out of the way and was incubating the eggs. I don't know how long it was before she pushed/it fell out, but I am going to say long enough for the eggs to chill. I would say she only did it early morning when the light came, or straight after I candled everything as I left the lights on so the hens would go back into the nest. The egg's seem a little grey, but I am guessing it is just my imagination. How long will it be before I know if they died?
August 10, 201113 yr I would say only an hour or more but lets hope they are still all well and good. dont beat yourself up accidents happen.
August 11, 201113 yr Author not sure if the eggs are dead, but the hen with one fertile egg looks like it's DIS. The air bubble takes up half of the egg. I really want to see if the others chicks survived the chill. Would love some feedback please guys. Would it be okay to chip away at one of the eggs? break it open and see?
August 11, 201113 yr not sure if the eggs are dead, but the hen with one fertile egg looks like it's DIS. The air bubble takes up half of the egg. I really want to see if the others chicks survived the chill. Would love some feedback please guys. Would it be okay to chip away at one of the eggs? break it open and see?   NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO dont do it i have done it thinking dam dis and chicks were alive just bit cold so were slow hatching i have had hens off eggs for 12 hours and eggs haves still hatched dont intr fere hun let fate do its thing  i will cross my fingers for you i lost healthy bubys being impatient
August 11, 201113 yr Author not sure if the eggs are dead, but the hen with one fertile egg looks like it's DIS. The air bubble takes up half of the egg. I really want to see if the others chicks survived the chill. Would love some feedback please guys. Would it be okay to chip away at one of the eggs? break it open and see?   NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO dont do it i have done it thinking dam dis and chicks were alive just bit cold so were slow hatching i have had hens off eggs for 12 hours and eggs haves still hatched dont intr fere hun let fate do its thing  i will cross my fingers for you i lost healthy bubys being impatient  okay thanks GB, I think I am to squeemish to do it anyway! . Today has been 21 days since first egg was laid. I candled the eggs again, and can still see veins in most. Should I be concerned no eggs have hatched yet? Also, finally an egg from the cinnamon blues is showing up with veins!
August 11, 201113 yr remember it is 18-21 days after sitting on eggs, the hen usually doesnt sit till the second or third egg.
August 11, 201113 yr Also squeak, when the air bubble takes up half the egg thats good. I've found that most of my eggs get that way later on when they are closer to hatching. Â But I agree with GB. Don't touch them till they are WELL over their due time.
August 11, 201113 yr Author Also squeak, when the air bubble takes up half the egg thats good. I've found that most of my eggs get that way later on when they are closer to hatching. Â But I agree with GB. Don't touch them till they are WELL over their due time. Â I thought the air bubble was only meant to take up about 1/3 of the end bit (the smallest end) Nope, I will be certain not to touch them. I know I would regret it later. I am just being impatient, as normal! haha
August 11, 201113 yr Also squeak, when the air bubble takes up half the egg thats good. I've found that most of my eggs get that way later on when they are closer to hatching. Â But I agree with GB. Don't touch them till they are WELL over their due time. Â Hmm I thought an air bubble taking up half the egg was bad. When they are about to hatch, the chick should fill up all the shell. And I've had a lot that were half full and half air bubble, that never hatched. Â And I also agree about the NOT touching them. I had one I thought was past due, and I picked it up to examine it. I found a hunk of dirt on it, so I thought I'd pick that off. Doing so made a hole in the shell, and the poor chick was alive inside there, but having a hole in the shell killed it! I wish I'd never even picked it up in the first place.
August 11, 201113 yr I would leave them alone and see what happens, I have had eggs that you swear there was hardly a chick in there and they hatch and others that take up over half the egg and hatch. I have also had eggs cold over night and they still have hatched, so you just never know. But please don't chip away.
August 14, 201113 yr Author Pair 1: ( yellowface blue X sky blue) Nothing hatching there. Looks like the one fertile egg is a dud. Will wait a bit longer, than see. Pair 2: (split fallows) The hen was looking disturbed, and so I transferred one of the eggs to the pair above (so there were 4 left) . She was leaving them cold, and they were strewn around the box. They looked DIS anyway. Walked out to find two on the ground, and the other two gone with dad having yellow around his face. Oh well, removed them from the cage. Pair 3: (cinnamon blues) Hen is on 6 eggs, and after candling them, 4 look fertile Pair 4: scratched... Pair 5: (spangle X normal) FIRST CHICK! I was inspecting the nest this morning, and looked to have some DIS. I was dissapointed, especially as one egg look to be a funny shape and have lines through it. I was about to take a picture of the discoloured eggs.. mum got off, and I heard peeping! Just a tiny hole in the egg. Very quick hatching, chick was out and "dry" within half an hour. Gave them soft mix (all the birds) and chick has been fed numerous times. Pair 6: 4 eggs, showing clear.
August 17, 201113 yr Author Pair 1: ( yellowface blue X sky blue) hen cleaned her nest out as well, ate all the eggs. I think I will leave them go again though. I added more shavings. Pair 2: ( Pair 3: (cinnamon blues) Still waiting, eggs looking fertile so far Pair 4: Pair 5: (spangle X normal) another chickie! egg count on 3 now. Pair 6: (clearbodies) 5th eggie laid, one or two looking fertile by eye. Pair 7: (yellow clearbodies) nothing yet Pair 8: (normal green and blue) first egg today Pair 9: (lute X clearbody) nothing yet Pair 10: Hen is very protective and tame in nest, not something I am happy about as she is the only hen I have to get on a stepladder to check the nest. She is on 2 eggs though lovely hen, can't wait for chickens.
August 18, 201113 yr Author another chick in the spangle nest. So we are on 4! I put him into the cinnamon blue's nest. I will have to do some shifting, she is on 7 eggs + a chick. So tonight I will go out and get rid of the clears. Her first chick will be hatching in the next few days hopefully.
August 20, 201113 yr Author 5th chick arrived today, put it into the cinnamon hen's nest. I am going to candle the eggs again tonight, remove the clear ones, transfer the oldest egg into the clearbody nest. I will remove the clearbody hen's eggs that I am certain aren't fertile.
August 21, 201113 yr Author Pair 1: ( yellowface blue X sky blue) One Egg  Pair 2: Pair 3: (cinnamon blues) hen is on 3 foster chicks. I am very excited, i removed her clear ones. There was one egg left in the spangle hen's nest, and I knew I would foster it into her nest anyway, and it was due to hatch any day. So I picked it up to move it and....pop! out cracks a little egg tooth. that was at about 6.30ish, and I left the egg into the foster mummies nest. I just went out to check it,(8.30) and no more had happen. I chipped away the shell near the small hole, (just the shell not the skin) and the chick started to peep. I widened the hole until I could see the skin of the chick inside. He shifted around a bit, and was moving. So I put the egg in again, and will check it out before I go to bed. Another update, 9.30. Chick is free! Pair 4: Pair 5: Well, 6 out of 6 fertile eggs! I may let them go for a second round. Hen is doing good on her 3 chicks. Dad is always keen on the soft food. I find it interesting, that her eggs hatched in this order: 14th,15th 17th, 18th 20th, 21st Coincidence, or genetics, or even hen's incubating method? You tell me Messy beak: When egg was still under oldest 3 bubs  Pair 6: (clearbodies) hen was on 8 eggs. I removed all the clears, and she was left with two. I would have hoped for more fertility... But I will throw some foster chicks in there probably to encourage fertlity for next round. I was amazed when I candled her eggs, to see this little branch like vein swaying in the egg. Budgie's never cease to amaze me.Does anyone know what is wrong with the top of the hen's beak? its all dark?  Pair 7: (yellow clearbodies) nothing yet.... Hen is growing more comfortable in nest Pair 8: (normal green and blue) 2 eggies  Pair 9: (lute X clearbody) 2 eggie  Pair 10: (lute hen X opaline cock) 2 eggies...funny, because she should have layed another on the 19th, and today. I will wait it out though. Looking fertile as well All the hen does is nibble my fingers!  I am happy those last 3 pairs are laying close together, it gives me a good opportunity to foster the chicks around. I will probably put a pet type pair down in my nest I had fallows in, for fostering.
August 21, 201113 yr may i say you must of got your clearbody hen coming out of condition rather than in may suggest if you have a nest move her two fertile ones their then after 13 days i have been told it is take the rest of infertile eggs away and leave her with cock to restart a clutch if you let her start to rear a clutch now she may pluck or try to toss chicks out half way so she can start to relay when shes back in condition again just sugestion something i do if i find ive chosen a hen on end of condition accidentally fertility maybeen not good as of that
August 21, 201113 yr Author may i say you must of got your clearbody hen coming out of condition rather than in may suggest if you have a nest move her two fertile ones their then after 13 days i have been told it is take the rest of infertile eggs away and leave her with cock to restart a clutch if you let her start to rear a clutch now she may pluck or try to toss chicks out half way so she can start to relay when shes back in condition again just sugestion something i do if i find ive chosen a hen on end of condition accidentally fertility maybeen not good as of that  I know, I did accidently catch her. She has had a nutmeg coloured cere for a while, and now she is in a breeding cage, in kick-started the cycle again. As you can see it is beginning to peel off. I was not talking about the cere though, the top of her actual BEAK looks like dark/dead almost. This hen has attacked chicks before, so I will be VERY careful to only let her raise them to 2 weeks. At 2 weeks, I will probably change the chicks to another nest, and let these two go at it again!
August 23, 201113 yr Author Pair 1: ( yellowface blue X sky blue) NOT going to let them go again. All the cock and hen do are cuddle in the box, and play soccer with eggs. I moved their two eggs into nest 10, and nest 9. I have a possibilty of getting clearbody hens, but any chicks will be blue so I should be about to tell them apart. Pair 2: Pair 3: (cinnamon blues) On the 3 foster chicks, nothing new yet Pair 4: Pair 5: (spangle X normal) 3 chicks are doing quite well, ringing time soon Pair 6: (clearbodies) Still the 2 eggs in there. I will possibly give her a chick from the cinnamon blues, depending on how many she gets out. Pair 7: (yellow clearbodies) one, maybe 2 eggs... Will need to check. Pair 8: (normal green and blue) 3 eggs Pair 9: (lute X clearbody) 2 eggs, plus one foster. Pair 10: 4 eggs! I must have miscounted the other day. (plus one foster!)
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