:bb: Hi folks, Im new here and new to budgies (I breed peachfaces) Ihave two budgies, that seem to have nested while I was away. The person who was looking after them didnt notice the eggs in the nesting box.

I went away on the 16th May and the pair were mating - how long after mating does the female normally lay eggs? also how long after the eggs have been laid before they hatch?

 

This is the first lot of eggs for this mumma so Im not even sure anything is going to happen with them.

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

Barnesy

Hi Barnsey, and welcome to the site.

 

Budgies will normally begin laying about 10 days after the first mating, although they will continue to mate even after the female begins to lay. The first one should hatch 18 days after it was laid. The eggs usually hatch on an every-other-day schedule, in the same order they were laid. Some birds will not begin to sit tightly on the eggs until after the second egg is laid, so to be safe give it 20 days for the first one to hatch, and count your every other day schedule from there before pulling out unhatched eggs. Some may not hatch, so give it a few extra days after the last egg should have hatched before removing eggs that are still there.

 

You can guess the first egg was laid around 26 May, which would put the hatch date around June 13 -15, so the first 3 or so should have hatched already. Since you don't know exactly when they were laid, that may not be a good way to determine when to remove eggs. How many were there?

there are 4 eggs in the nest, not that I can get to see much of them as mum is sitting tight - have to have a sneak look when she goes out.

 

barnesy

If she is sitting tightly on them now, they may have been laid later than the usual 10 days after mating. I'd let her keep sitting on them if it were me. If you find there are more than 4 now, you can back count to find out when the first one was laid since you know there were only 4 eggs the last time you checked.

when i put my birds down to breed 80% lay on day 7

thanks for all the help, as these are young birds and new to mating I might wait another week before I remove the eggs. Just in case! I might do the light test to see if there is anything in the eggs before I upset mum and take them away.

 

Barnesy