eggs and baby birds

[Jamiya]

Can someone reassure me one more time that if I take the finch eggs out as soon as I find them, I am not killing a baby bird?! Or should I be candling them to be sure? Thank you.

[ilovemycockatiels]

Hello, by candling, you can't see anything in the egg until 5-6 days after the incubation starts which could be after the 3rd egg is laid. Nothing will develop until incubation starts so throwing them away right after they are laid wouldn't be killing it unless it developed for a few days or so. Maybe someone can help you more. Hope I helped some.

[charmedagain]

Hi Jamiya no your not killing them if you throw them away the day the are laid finchs do not incubate there eggs till the 3rd is laid and some not till most of the clutch has been laid.

The only problem that can arise from removing the eggs is the female decides to replace eggs that are taken, I am lucky mine do not.

Mike

[Jamiya]

Thanks, guys! I have been taking them as soon as I find them - the same day they are laid. I replace them with ones I have previously boiled and then boil the new ones, so I have a supply of eggs that won't hatch. Boo has never laid more than 3 in a row. When she stops sitting on them for a couple of days, I take them all away and we start over.

I have had some luck with moving all the food dishes lower in the cage. She seems to only lay eggs in the highest food dish. I have even toyed with the idea of taking some of the dishes out completely before I go to bed, but I feel bad. They aren't perch-sleepers, so won't they be uncomfortable if they don't have something to sit in while they sleep?

[charmedagain]

Hi Jamiya well i removed my finch's nest box after they had the last baby and they started nesting in the food dish, So i changed the dishes for those feeder tubes i felt awful they were sleeping on the perches so i gave them back there dish now i have 2more baby finchs.

They will sleep where there can if they could not sleep properly on a perch i am sure they would sleep on the cage floor....

Good egg system you have going there i will have to try that.

I now have 3, 4week old baby cockatiels that have now left the nest and are trying to feed on there own.
I also have 2, 1week old baby finchs.....

Mike

[Jamiya]

Hehe, you're worse than I am, Mike! Although if my zebras were alone in the cage I would probably let them raise some babies. But I am worried about upsetting the dynamic in the cage.

[armandndeb]

My 4 keets sleep on the cage bars at night at the front of the cage, I only cover the back half for their privacy but they prefer to be up front with watchful eyes I guess so they don,t miss any action, they are funny little ones.

[Jamiya]

The zebras are nesting in one of the food dishes and seem to be serious about sitting on the eggs this time. There were 3 in there at last count. Of course, they have all been replaced with boiled eggs. When they finally get tired of sitting on them, I am going to totally remove that dish from the cage and then keep rotating positions on the other ones. Maybe little Boo will stop laying then....

[charmedagain]

Oh dear sounds like they are wanting a family, Thats the thing about finch's they are prolific breeders and usually hard to stop them laying eggs.

The conditions in your house must be ideal for them is it always warm in the house they love it when its warm.

All you can really do is everytime they lay remove the eggs and give her boiled ones.

Usually moving things around puts them on edge and stops them laying but looks like yours just wont take the hint lol

Mike

[Jamiya]

Actually, it's fairly cold in the house. Funny little birds.

I feel guilty that she is sitting on eggs that will never hatch, but maybe it makes her happy...

[charmedagain]

Only time mine stop laying is when they have chicks to feed and at the moment they have 2 chicks in the nest and are constantly eating the parents must be really tired by the end of the night flying back and forth to the food and water dishes lol

Mike

[Jamiya]

I suppose I might let her actually hatch ONE egg at some point. Or maybe move the zebras to their own cage so I can let them have a nest without having to provide nests for everyone else and perhaps ending up with dove eggs and society eggs as well. But not until our elderly mice pass on. Too many cages to clean at the moment. At least the canary can't lay eggs, LOL.

Boo really tells off anyone who gets too close to her eggs. It's funny because she used to be the most reserved of the birds, except for the nuns. She was even slightly plucked when we got her. Piper is taking his turns sitting on the eggs as well. Boo even got to take a bath today. How the heck do they get any exercise while sitting on eggs all day?

[charmedagain]

Female birds are funny they are so quiet when not laying eggs or breeding but as soon as they have eggs they turn into something different lol.

As for the excercise you will notice when the female sat on the eggs the male flys back and forth most of the time and then the same when the male is on the eggs the female with do her flying, Its usually just to the food and water and back again lol.

Well my pair of cockatiels that has 5 week old chicks have decided its time for them to lay again and now meeko has 2 eggs this is so not happening, i even took off the nest box when the chicks left the nest and meeko laid one on the cage floor, Think she like being a mum lol

Mike

[Jamiya]

Hehe, silly Meeko! That's what I am afraid of with Boo. If I ever let her actually hatch chicks, maybe she will be even more determined to have more of them.

Oh, I found one of the eggs on the bottom of the cage yesterday. Or, I found half of it, at least. I guess they threw it out of the "nest"?