Eggs did not hatch

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rosemaryalice
Posts: 94
Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 10:32 pm

Eggs did not hatch

Post by rosemaryalice »

My green violet hen and blue cinnamon cock are a bonded pair. i have seen them mate. They got a nest box kind of late this year. We had a strange weather year here with no Spring. My Australian grass parakeets had 3 babies last year and only one this time. Cold with snow up into June and then warm summer weather They had 3 eggs which she sat on for several weeks but they did not hatch. She is a young female. Just 2 and never bred before. He is a proven older male. Should I leave their nest up as they sleep in it every night. I think they may do better next year if they get an early start. Any thoughts?
dog_glenn123
Posts: 573
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:05 pm
Location: West Sydney Australia

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by dog_glenn123 »

Hey from what i can remember you are in Aus.

Its too early leave the nest up for at least 2 months they will go again.
Ta Glenn
rosemaryalice
Posts: 94
Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 10:32 pm

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by rosemaryalice »

Hi Glenn, actually I am in California. In the US. We have had some weird weather. We are in the Sierra Nevada Foothills and get snow in the winter occasionally. It should be in the high 90's right now but is more like Spring in the high 70's. No wonder the birds are all confused. It will probably warm up. Some of my birds are moulting right now. I think I will leave it up to them and see what happens. I would love to see results from this pair but may have to wait until next Spring. Thanks for your reply.
julie
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Location: nsw australia

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by julie »

Its pretty common for the eggs not to hatch with a first time hen.They may not have actually got it right with mating yet.
rosemaryalice
Posts: 94
Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 10:32 pm

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by rosemaryalice »

I thought they might not hatch the first time but I am really anxious to see what this pair produces. They are really bonded and not tame at all although he was supposed to have been hand fed. He is 10 and I think he completely forgot about it! I have another pair that I haven't bred that are very friendly but not totally tame and they are really fun. Mr. Pickle wolf whistles at me every time he sees me and he is starting to try to talk. Right now they are separated because he has gotten very cranky since he is moulting. I don't know if I will try to breed them or tame them more and keep them as pets.Thank you for the reply!
luvalutino
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by luvalutino »

i live in sydney we are still in winter..mine went early she laid the first egg over 30 days ago....shes been in the nest ever since....she has five eggs in total.....none have hatched yet...
how much longer should i wait before i give up on this cluch of eggs.......and if none hatch should i remove the eggs
or will she get rid of them herself...i have been very patient in that i havent interfered with the nest by peeking regularily...as i dont want her to abandon her nest.
vivalamom
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:20 pm

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by vivalamom »

if u are ever curious if they eggs are good when they are out of the nest grab an egg and turn the lights off and put it up to a flash light you will be able to tell if the egg is good or not
rod038
Posts: 436
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:07 pm

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by rod038 »

I have had eggs hatch at 30 days from being laid. The reason is the Hen doesnt always start setting strait away. I would wait till it had been 25 days from the last egg being laid. If none hatch then throw them out and being so early in the season she may go again.
luvalutino
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by luvalutino »

thanks guys....2 were clear the other 3 looked dark and dense...i took the two clear ones out of the nest....i will give it to the end of the week , if they havent hatched i will get rid of them.
good luck with the new season
luvalutino
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by luvalutino »

i feel gutted..........in the process of getting rid of the remaining eggs.....i broke one...there was a baby inside the egg still pink/crimson......but the eggs have now been there for too long..was it dead inside the egg? or did i kill it....i feel like **** atm....i put the other two back underneath her....she didnt leave the nest..at all......is it possible that she laid more eggs whilst sitting on the old ones.... ? can anyone help?
rod038
Posts: 436
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:07 pm

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by rod038 »

They generally wont lay again unless they lose their eggs. The first egg may not hatch for 30 days from being laid. I will give you an example with 1 of my pairs last year.

1st egg 1/8/10 hatched 31/8/10
2nd egg 3/8/10 hatched 31/8/10
3rd egg 6/8/10 hatched 1/9/10
4th egg 8/8/10 hatched 1/9/10
5th egg 10/8/10 hatched 2/9/10

They can die in the shell like that. They may get cold or the moisture is not high enough in the nest to allow hatching.

If it was still alive it would of been wriggling around when you opened the egg.

How long has it been since the last egg was laid?
luvalutino
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by luvalutino »

thank- you
when i looked at the eggs to sort out the clear ones the 3 that i left had dark mass spots....1 had vein like colouring around the dark mass......but given the time i thought that the eggs had gone off
the fetus wasnt wrigling........but it broke my heart....
i dont like interfering with the nests so i wasnt checking everyday
the last egg was laid in the last week of june......well over 30 days ago...
i live in sydney we are in winter....and we had some cold 2 degree mornings.....a couple of weeks ago.........
spring starts in september.......so do you think its safe to remove the other two?
rod038
Posts: 436
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:07 pm

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by rod038 »

They are a week past due for hatching so I would say they are no good. If they are darker and heavier then they may also be dead in the shell.

An egg that is due to hatch will feel solid and it will sometimes wobble around. A day or so from hatching you can even hear the chick chirping inside at times.

The pair may lay again if you remove the eggs as it is early in the season.

I am in Bathurst and mine have just started laying this past week. We get lots of minus temperatures this time of year over night and as long as the hen stays in the nest box the eggs are ok. She will keep them warm. I know in Sydney they do go down earlier than here.

Was she a young hen? She may have left the box at night if disturbed by a cat or mouse or something else and they went cold or their was not enough moisture in the nest box and the chicks couldnt break the shell. If it is dark and the hen leaves the box sometimes she cant find her way back. When I had Budgies I had a soft night light set up for this reason.This can happen.

Its not a nice feeling when you break an egg and there is a chick inside but you have waited long enough I think and if it wasnt wiggling it was already dead unfortunately.

Hopefully she lays again and things go well. Good luck.
luvalutino
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by luvalutino »

thanks you.......i will remove the remaining eggs tommorow..and hopefully they will go again.
it is her first clutch....in fact i was worried she may have been egg bound as she was spending a lot of time on the floor of the cage just before she laid her first egg. How do i increase the moisture level inside the nest box?
rod038
Posts: 436
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:07 pm

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by rod038 »

Start with moist matrierial. I wet mine and then squeeze the excess water out and then pack it down in the box. Have a water dish she can bathe in and she will take water in on her feathers.
luvalutino
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

Re: Eggs did not hatch

Post by luvalutino »

incredible..its been one week since i removed the remaining eggs and now she's looking at nesting boxes
...she has two nesting boxes to choose from and like she did the first time she's checking out both of them before she lays again.....i thought she would have just gone to the one she was familiar with......o well...a good sign for me
i hope she follows through lays and this time they hatch
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