Advice on fostering eggs!

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njournel101
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:12 pm

Advice on fostering eggs!

Post by njournel101 »

Hey guys!
I have 5 pairs of IRN's including some violets as of this year. I was hoping to foster the eggs that I get from my violets to some of my other pairs so they could double clutch. Could I get some advice and recommendations on how to go about doing this?
Does the new pair accept this type of thing usually? I mean wouldn't the female think its weird if her nestbox goes from 3-4 eggs to say 6-7? Is there a limit to the number of eggs that a female should be incubating? Also do the 2 pairs have to be on the exact same egg laying/incubating schedule for this to work? Do you usually take one egg at a time and introduce it to the new female or do you put all the eggs in at once?

Basically any advice or recommendation on fostering eggs would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a TON guys!
julie
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Re: Advice on fostering eggs!

Post by julie »

I took eggs from a pair and put them with a single hen.The single hen had laid her eggs and was sitting on them like she thought they would hatch.It didnt seem to bother her that there was more eggs. The other pair laid again and the egg in with the single hen hatched.
rod038
Posts: 436
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:07 pm

Re: Advice on fostering eggs!

Post by rod038 »

The Foster pairs need to be proven reliable pairs at raising young otherwise it can end in disaster.

The pairs you want to double clutch need to have raised their own 1st round chicks at least once otherwise they can have problems in future.

You need the pairs to be laying at the same time, give or take a few days to a week is generally ok. I wait till both pairs have finished laying. I then take the Foster pairs eggs and throw them away or use them to add eggs to nests with maybe 3 eggs that have finished laying and place the Eggs I want to keep in the Foster hens nest. This is the best way if you need to know the identity of the chicks for future breeding. Or you could use foster pairs that would breed different colours to the Violet pairs.

It is best to candle the eggs to make sure that they are ok before you go swapping them around, another reason to wait till the pairs have finished laying.


Theres no point putting your Violet eggs in a nest and ending up with 7 chicks as they wont get fed as much and wont grow to there full potential. I like to keep chick numbers to no more than 4 in one nest. Hens will also take chicks if placed in at a similar age to their own.

If the pair wants to double clutch they will generally lay again with in a month and you leave these eggs for them to raise.
njournel101
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:12 pm

Re: Advice on fostering eggs!

Post by njournel101 »

Okay thanks a lot especially to you rod038! A couple more questions or clarifications if you dont mind...

So if I want I do NOT have to take all the eggs from my foster pairs nest correct? Say shes sitting on 2 fertile eggs I can just add 2 from my violet pair and not worry that she will freak out cause her nest went from 2 to 4 eggs?

Also the point you make about hens taking in chicks if placed in at a similar age to their own. Do you mean that I could let my violets raise their chicks to about 2 weeks (is this a good time or do you suggest something different?) or so and if some of my other pairs have chicks that are about the same age I can just add the violet chicks to their nestbox and they will feed them?

Out of the 2 options mentioned above what do you recommend? It seems both would allow my violets to double clutch so is there one that is safer or less risky than the other?

Thanks again
rod038
Posts: 436
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:07 pm

Re: Advice on fostering eggs!

Post by rod038 »

You can leave the foster eggs there and add more eggs. Most hens will accept this. The only problem is knowing whose eggs were whose when they hatch. If the pairs are different mutations that would breed different colours this isnt a problem. eg Giving your Violet eggs to a Lutino pair.

I prefer to move eggs but have moved chicks as well. I only place a chick in nest with similar size chicks already hatched.

Some people pull all their first round chicks and hand raise to let the pairs go again.

I figure the sooner you can take them away the sooner they will lay again.

If your foster pairs are good reliable parents then it shouldnt be a problem. If they are young or bad parents then it doesnt matter if its foster eggs or their own they may not look after them.

This last season I did what you are wanting to do. My Violet pair laid 5 eggs. My Foster pair laid 4 eggs. The Violet pairs eggs were about a week older than the Foster pairs. Once the Foster pair had finished laying. I waited a few days to make sure no more eggs. I removed the Foster pairs eggs and placed the 5 Violet eggs. The Foster pair hatched all 5, but the youngest one died after a few days. I got 1 Double Factor Violet, 2 normal Violets and a BLue. The Violet Pair laid another 4 eggs and I got 2 Normal Violets and 2 Blues from their second nest.

When I used to breed Budgies you used to have 2 pairs of Fosters to 1 pair of Good birds to hopefully get the timing right, but when you get into larger parrots because of cage size this isnt always possible.
njournel101
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:12 pm

Re: Advice on fostering eggs!

Post by njournel101 »

Okay great! One last thing....
So say my foster pair is a week or two behind my violet pair in the laying schedule. If I wait until the foster pair has finished laying and remove all the eggs and put the violet pairs eggs in her nestbox will she freak out if she only sits on them for a little over a week and they start hatching since the violets would have already been incubating them for a week or two? Or will she not even notice that she had to incubate them a lot less than normal?

Thanks
rod038
Posts: 436
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:07 pm

Re: Advice on fostering eggs!

Post by rod038 »

The most apart I have done is a week. If they are older birds that have layed before they should go pretty close together.
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