eggs didn't hatch?

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vedo808
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:49 pm

eggs didn't hatch?

Post by vedo808 »

my female laid her first egg in the middle of January and ended up laying 4 more now she has a total of 5 but its been a month so I'm wondering if her eggs is possibly none fertile she still stays in the box but I don't know what I should do shes still really protective over her eggs..also I live in Hawaii I don't know if this make a difference with the incubation period time of the hatching It's not really cold hear but it is our winter It's about a average of 80 degrees during the day and about 70-72 degrees at night please any information on this would be helpful..thanks :?:
Joanie
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:41 pm

Re: eggs didn't hatch?

Post by Joanie »

I'm kinda wondering the same thing. mine has been in her box most of the time since end of january.
don't know how many are in there or if they are fertile either.
i have seen the two of them go through the motions but never saw him connect. then again, i am at work 8hrs a day too. so like you, i just wait.
vedo808
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:49 pm

Re: eggs didn't hatch?

Post by vedo808 »

thanks I'll try the penlight thing...if the eggs are no good should i leave the breeding box in or should i take it out and wait till after spring to try again or does it even matter it's just up to the pair. :cry:
Joanie
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:41 pm

Re: eggs didn't hatch?

Post by Joanie »

i finally got brave and intruded into the nestbox. 4 nice warm eggs in there.
i held them up to the sunlight and they looked like a raw egg. i accidently cracked one so i broke it open and it was just a plain unferitlized egg, yolk was very thick. not smelly as of yet. the 2nd one i checked was the same.
so i put 2 back.
now what? do i throw the rest away and take down the nest box for now?
if so, when would be a good time to put it back up?
is there a specific breeding season?
thanks for all your help, its much appreciated.
Last edited by Joanie on Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
xx_sheena_xx
Posts: 748
Joined: Sat May 03, 2008 11:02 pm
Location: Victoria, Australia

Re: eggs didn't hatch?

Post by xx_sheena_xx »

The eggs dont sound furtile.
If they were they should have shown some signs of a baby.
JimHcctx
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 10:05 am
Location: Corpus Christi, TX
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Re: eggs didn't hatch?

Post by JimHcctx »

Hi, just wanted to add a couple comments:

You only have a few months in which to get babies. Your birds are already suspect if the eggs weren’t fertile. To prevent you from having to wait a full year you might try this:

After you pull the eggs, the birds should start laying a second time in 10-14 days. Depending on how many eggs they lay, the hen won’t start sitting immediately. But, after the first one you can figure Lay, not lay, lay, not lay, lay, not lay (days) and she will probably start sitting around the 3rd egg. From that point wait 7 more days and candle the eggs se laid. This time you are looking for a thin blood vein within the clear egg. You won’t see much more than that, but you should see a vein, if you’re not sure and “may” see a vein, wait another 4-5 days and look at them again. If you see the vein they are fertile.

If you have no vein, you still want to try to get her to lay a 3rd time. If she does, she won’t do it for most likely a month from the time you pull the second set of eggs. Assuming the first two clutches were infertile I would recommend trimming the feathers away from both the male and the females vent (carefully), this will ensure a better chance for fertilization. (Or you can do this now to both birds on the second try as well).

Second thing you might look at is the perch where they are breeding stable, if its too small, is the female sliding around and the male having a problem remaining on her back? If so, maybe you need to chance it to something she can grip better. For mating, a somewhat horizontal perch is better.

Lastly, make sure you are feeding good food (not just seed), she needs to be stocked up for the long haul. A cuttle bone broken in half in the nest will help also with calcium replacement.

Good Luck!
Jim
Jim H
Nodding the head is not rowing the boat!
Joanie
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:41 pm

Re: eggs didn't hatch?

Post by Joanie »

thanks Jim, i did as was suggested and removed the infertile eggs and replenished the nest box.
she is out and about alot more now. they are only 2yrs old so this is practicing i guess. if she does lay another batch, i'll check them before i let her sit on blanks for another month.
if they are duds, ill just take the box down till next year.
thanks for all your help
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