Hello Everyone,

 

I was hoping someone could help me. This is my first time breeding so I'm a tad confused: Is it possible to have both fertile and unfertilized eggs within a clutch?

 

I ask this because my breeding pair has laid 5 eggs total (they should hatch around the 11th, if they are fertile) and this morning when i checked on them I noticed an egg had been thrown out of the nest box and was broken, it had a yolk.

 

I've read that unfertilized eggs look clear-ish (I'm not really sure what clear-ish means to be honest) and have a slight pink hue to them, but the 4 eggs in the nest box look to be white. (I'll post a picture).

 

So go back to my original question, is it possible to have both fertilized and unfertilized eggs?

And also, my birds threw out the egg, what could be possible reasons for this and any solutions? They haven't thrown any others prior to this.

 

Any and all information is appreciated!

 

Thanks, Val

 

 

Hello Everyone,

 

I was hoping someone could help me. This is my first time breeding so I'm a tad confused: Is it possible to have both fertile and unfertilized eggs within a clutch?

 

I ask this because my breeding pair has laid 5 eggs total (they should hatch around the 11th, if they are fertile) and this morning when i checked on them I noticed an egg had been thrown out of the nest box and was broken, it had a yolk.

 

I've read that unfertilized eggs look clear-ish (I'm not really sure what clear-ish means to be honest) and have a slight pink hue to them, but the 4 eggs in the nest box look to be white. (I'll post a picture).

 

So go back to my original question, is it possible to have both fertilized and unfertilized eggs?

And also, my birds threw out the egg, what could be possible reasons for this and any solutions? They haven't thrown any others prior to this.

 

Any and all information is appreciated!

 

Thanks, Val

 

 

 

Being honest they all look fertile

Yes it is possible to have both fertile and infertile eggs

The infertile ones if you shine a torch through them will look clearish, and the fertiles will have blood vessels, eventually they will be full with only an air bubble at the top what i mean by full is if you shine a torch through it it will appear reddy-black

The reason they through their egg out is because it was infertile will no embryo just yolk and clear liquid (mental block).

So i think you will get chickies because when you look at the eggs they are very white and infertile egg will seem to be yellowy,browny,pinky color and will nearly seem to be transparent

 

 

 

Best of luck

Edited October 4, 201113 yr by corzstunt

Oh okay, I thought so too, but its a good reassurance to hear a second opinion. Thanks!

 

All four of the remaining eggs look fertile. Not all budgie mums throw out infertile eggs ....they arent all that smart. BUT in this case the one thrown out seems to have been infertile.

A mix of fertile eggs and infertile eggs in a clutch is normal. Thats why we candle them by torchlight to see and remove the infertile ones so the mother doesnt have to cover and warm the dud eggs.

Oh okay, Kaz do you by any chance know if there is a "How to" for candling on here? I've looked but haven't any luck finding one. I'll continue searching though.

 

If not, could you please tell me how? Like the dos and don'ts? And how soon after laying can you candle, I've heard 5 days, but want to know your opinion.

 

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I think 5 or so days is correct. Some say 3 or a week.

 

I am pretty sure you need a goodish light, not just a generic torch. I think ive read somewhere that the smaller torches, mini, are good.

 

But hooray for 4/5 fertile eggs, let's hope they all hatch an no dis (dead in shell)

Oh okay, Kaz do you by any chance know if there is a "How to" for candling on here? I've looked but haven't any luck finding one. I'll continue searching though.

 

If not, could you please tell me how? Like the dos and don'ts? And how soon after laying can you candle, I've heard 5 days, but want to know your opinion.

 

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

 

I find 5 days is pretty good ( thats 5 days per egg ) .............and I dont see the need to handle the eggs or remove them from the nestbox. With a good flexible torch or penlight torch you can use it in the nestbox. Just tap on the box so the hen gets out. Then put the torchlight behind the egg pointing forward to where you can see the results. Earliest signs are tiny spidery red veins. Further along the contents of the egg get darker. so all you may see is a darkening of the egg contents about 2/3 of the egg and one third is light.

Edited October 5, 201113 yr by **KAZ**

Taylor, I had COMPLETELY forgotten that possibility, but hopefully all goes well and have 4 healthy baby budgies! And thanks for the insight, I'll try looking for a mini asap. It'll be good to have one handy as well. =]

 

 

Thank you so much Kaz, you've been a great help!

 

Just an update, the first baby hatched Wednesday night, the second Saturday night and the third yesterday afternoon.

 

There is one more egg to go! And my first-timer, Zappie, couldn't be a better mother!

 

Here's a picture of my little pinkies.

 

Good news Parakeet Val. Please keep us posted with pics of chicks as they grow.

 

Also please update us with pics of parents, it will be a good fun and also learning. Since we will know what mutations were paired and what they produced.

 

Thanks and good luck.

Update!

 

okay, so I'm haven't updated at all, sorry about that.

 

So all four eggs hatched, unfortunately the youngest 2 died.

 

The eldest budgie was born on Oct. 3 and the second on October 6 (I have pictures of them today they are already sprouting their little feathers).

 

The parents, I believe the hen is a yellow-based clearflight and the cock is a aqua normal (If I'm wrong, please correct me).

Here they are:

 

 

 

Mom

 

 

Dad

 

 

First Hatched:

 

 

Three hatched:

 

 

 

The Eldest (a week ago):

 

 

 

And yesterday (the two eldest ones):

 

 

I have nooo idea if its blue or green to be honest because I can see the yellow... What do you guys think?

Mum is a light green recessive pied, Dad is a normal sky blue.

 

Your young will all be green normals that are split blue and split recessive pied.

 

The look like they have white down so that would indicate they are opaline, and and Dad is split Opaline.

 

They would also be hens as Mum is not an opaline and the opaline gene is sex linked, so if only one parent passes it on the males do not appear as opaline but the females do.

Oh WOW!

Thank you for letting me know!

Clearly I need to pay attention and research genetics. But because you brought it to my attention, I did a bit of research on Opaline genetics.

 

Based on what I learned, I found out that Opaline is sex-linked on the Z-chromosome. So I did a basic Punnet Square to try to understand and I got the genotype results as:

 

(Lets say the * is the allele that carries Oplaine)

 

My pair would be cock ZZ* x ZY

Males (ZZ)

50% Normal (ZZ)

50% Heterozygous (Split) for Opaline (ZZ*)

 

Phenotype: 100% Normal

 

Females (ZY)

50% Normal (ZY)

50% Opaline (Z*Y)

 

Phenotype: 50% Norma,l 50% Opaline

 

(I hope i understood it right) So now Im a tad confused, I dont believe hens can be hetero or Split for Opaline. Could /Split Opaline babies have white down? Or would this mean the babies I have are therefore are Opaline hens?

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much!

Edited October 20, 201113 yr by ParakeetVal

Mom Seems to be Dominant Pied Light Green and Dad Normal Sky Blue.

 

 

Good luck and please keep us posted.

 

I think any opaline babies form this pairing would be hen, as hens can not be split for Opaline and your hen is Non-Opaline.

 

 

 

Experts can correct me if I am wrong.

Edited October 20, 201113 yr by Tariq

Oops, me bad.

 

Dominant Pied is right, not recessive, changes everything.

 

Sky Blue Normal Cock paired to a Light Green Dominant Pied Hen

(Lets say the * is the allele that carries Oplaine)

 

My pair would be cock ZZ* x ZY

Males (ZZ)

50% Normal (ZZ)

50% Heterozygous (Split) for Opaline (ZZ*)

 

Phenotype: 100% Normal

 

Females (ZY)

50% Normal (ZY)

50% Opaline (Z*Y)

 

Phenotype: 50% Norma,l 50% Opaline

 

(I hope i understood it right) So now Im a tad confused, I dont believe hens can be hetero or Split for Opaline. Could /Split Opaline babies have white down? Or would this mean the babies I have are therefore are Opaline hens?

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much!

 

Your summary is perfect. An excellent way to put it. And you are exactly correct, that if your two chicks are opaline, then they are hens. (And you are not confused, your are right that hens cannot be /op.)

 

 

And to split hairs, there are other mutations that can have white down, they are just not as common. So when we expect opaline, we look for white down.

 

 

Hey Dave, look at that hen again, I think she IS recessive pied. Look at her belly. (Maybe she might be a combo pied?)

 

Parakeet Val, does she have iris rings? (And you can post much larger pictures here. Set your Photobucket account to resize your uploads to 640 x 480, and then they will automatically be the correct size. )

Thanks for confirming for me! I just wasn't sure, since I am new to all this.

 

And here's a couple pictures of my hen, taken a couple months ago, (Sorry, I'm not home so cant get more recent pictures)

BUT She does NOT have Iris rings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 20, 201113 yr by ParakeetVal

I lied, whoopsie.

 

I took her out into better light and she has an iris ring, I just couldn't see it in dim light.

 

 

In the Second picture, you can kinda see her iris.

Edited October 21, 201113 yr by ParakeetVal

What ages are you breeding your birds at ?

well i was wondering how old your hen is as if you say that picture was just few months ago she could not be more than 6 to 8 months at oldest as shes still got baby bars and having no ring in the pics but having a faint one now would back that

and two chicks is all he may be-able to feed enough to keep alive so she may of feed the strongest only

i think it looks like a recesive pied but if she has rings shes a df dom as that chick is a dompied for sure green based as well

yet the other looks to be rec pied als green based so could be df dom/rec hen and sky blue/rec cock to get that out come

or as mentioned a combo pied do you have the ability to get eye shots recent as she really does look df to me (dom which gives rec and doms if cocks split rec

your cock looks young also possibly brother sister ???

 

What ages are you breeding your birds at ?

you just bet me kaz

Well I got her officially back in July.

 

She used to be my grandma's and shes had her since September of last year. So she's been in my family for 1 year and 1 month.

 

If youd all like, I can upload a more recent picture, but even there she doesnt really have big or very noticeable iris rings (I still had to take her outside into better light to be able to clearly see the iris rings), although the stripes on her head have receded waaaaayyyy more than they are in this picture.

 

And my cock I have had since November of last year, but I was told that he was 8 weeks old when I got him, so I've had him for a year next month on the 13.

 

 

I didnt know all this would come from old pictures, (I checked my computer and they are from March 29 and 31, 2011), I can put up a recent picture but it would have to be later as it is night over here.

 

Sorry for all the confusion, but I wouldnt breed any bird under a year -pinky promise- even as a newbie I know that.

 

 

Edited October 22, 201113 yr by ParakeetVal

Heres a new picture of her. I took it a few moments ago. Sorry about the quality, I took it on my phone.

 

Hen

 

 

 

And I was reading a post by Neville where he spoke about how Combination pieds are often mistaken for recessive or df dominant. Do you believe she could be a combination?

 

 

Baby Update

Heres a picture of them... Their down doesnt look white, it looks more grey.. So I think opaline is out, what do you guys think?

 

 

 

Nice Chicks.

 

 

In the last picture your hen seem to be a dominant pied, less than 6 months old.

Theres no way shes "less than 6 months" I have pictures of her from 7 months ago..

 

Going through my photo album on my phone, I have a picture of her in December and one from November.

 

December was 9 months ago, November 10. The photo in November you clearly see her baby bars go down all the way to her cere.

 

 

BUT I was looking at the pictures closely, there doesn't seem a big difference from 7 months ago to the picture taken now, except the iris rings. (Difference on the cap, why??)

 

March 2011 (7 months ago)

)

 

 

Now

 

Hi,

 

I know this is an old topic but was wondering if someone could post a photo of an unfertilized egg. There seems to be a bit of description but have been unable to see a photo.

 

Thanks,

 

Tracey