How do I ensure the safety of late laid eggs?

[JaneLane]

Hi everyone while I'm not a breeder, I posted a thread in the budgie forum about how my budgie laid an egg(which turned out to be fertile) I got a lot of great help there and have been candling the other eggs through the base of the cage so I dont touch them but after I made my last post Amelia laid a sixth egg and now today she has laid a seventh, I candled the fifth and it is fertile in a few more days I'll candle the sixth but I think it and the seventh is fertile. Two of the eggs are due to hatch any day now and I am wondering is there anyway I can protect the younger ones from being trampled? The oldest will be nearly two weeks older than the youngest. Second, I am starting to worry for Amelia's health how long is budgie sperm viable and how can I be sure when she is done laying eggs? Her mate has taken two of the eggs and is sitting on them, Amelia will occasionally take them back will this affect their incubation?

 

[Zara]

I find it strange that she has laid an egg today if the other eggs are due to hatch around now.
And you are sure that they are fertile?
Maybe you could share some dates... Like the date she was separated from her partner and the dates all the eggs were all laid.

 

[saroj12]

Too late this time but isn't it cruel to break up a bonded pair? Let them be together and replace their eggs immediately with dummy eggs and destroy the fertile eggs before they get a chance to form life in them.

 

[JaneLane]

@Zara I have not separated her from her mate, should I? I was told the male needed to stay to feed her and teach the chicks how to eat seed when the time came, could they still be mating? I have compiled the dates since I last posted and they are 26th of jan, 27th of jan, 29th of jan, 31th of jan, 6th of feb(possibly), 8th of feb, 11th of feb

 

[JaneLane]

Too late this time but isn't it cruel to break up a bonded pair? Let them be together and replace their eggs immediately with dummy eggs and destroy the fertile eggs before they get a chance to form life in them.

Oh I have not separated them, they still live together I was not aware I was supposed to separate them.

 

[saroj12]

Oh I have not separated them, they still live together I was not aware I was supposed to separate them.

no no don't! you're doing the right thing!

 

[JaneLane]

@saroj12
Thank you I hoped I was They do like each other a lot and would be depressed if they were not together.

 

[Zara]

No, I´m very sorry.

There was 2 members with egg threads at the same time and I got you mixed up with her (she had separated her birds). You asked how long budgie sperm is viable so it threw me off.
Please accept my apology

Try and keep all the eggs together. My lovebird pair brood together over all of the eggs.

I think I know what you are saying... When the chicks hatch, some will be significantly larger than others?

So, even though the first egg was laid on the 26 Jan, It wasn´t incubated ´til a later date, after other eggs were laid. When the egg is first laid, it is like being frozen in time. Nothing grows until the hen broods.
Did you notice a day where your hen was sitting over the eggs and hardly leaving? That is the date to count from. I hope that makes sense, and makes up for my mistake earlier.

 

[JaneLane]

@Zara It's okay it happens to everyone Yes I was concerned about the eldest chicks smashing the younger ones but I'm glad to hear they don't start developing until the hen starts incubating them, I believe Amelia started sitting earnestly on them around 31st of jan so I guess I'll add five days to my original expected hatch date so hopefully no crushing will happen

 

[Zara]

I believe Amelia started sitting earnestly on them around 31st of jan so I guess I'll add five days to my original expected hatch date

When you´re coming up to that date, peek in every morning and night.

I love when I open the nest box and see the little pink thing for the first time all snuggled in the nest

 

[JaneLane]

@Zara I will make sure to keep an eye out that does sound very cute

 

[Zara]

Very cute, but the start of a hard journey.
Did you say you were keeping these chicks if they hatch?
Remember next time you have eggs, Like Saroj said, if you don´t want to keep them, you can take the eggs as soon as they´re laid, before the hen sits while theres nothing growing yet, and replace them with the fake eggs.

 

[JaneLane]

@Zara Yes I think I have a tasking next few months to look forward to We plan on sending the babies to good homes, this was a surprise clutch and there certainly will be no more babies after this lol

 

[Zara]

@Zara Yes I think I have a tasking next few months to look forward to We plan on sending the babies to good homes, this was a surprise clutch and there certainly will be no more babies after this lol

Yes, I have to put my foot down with Aldora. I just can´t keep any more of her offspring.
I was lucky, a good friend of mine saw I posted a picture of the eggs on my facebook and contacted me asking about chicks. I gifted her 2 and they are all so happy together, and she and her husband send me pictures all the time.

 

[JaneLane]

@Zara I'm glad they got to stay together and that you still get to see pictures of them, I bet Aldora is grateful they're together too-parrots always are smarter than we think they are after all - I'll probably send some to a family friend who has an aviary when they're olld enough.

 

[JaneLane]

Update: We may have found out why Amelia has been laying eggs so far apart, we saw her mate attempt to mount her two times today while she was sitting on the eggs, she fought him off but she seems exhausted, should we separate them or will lead to ill effects?

 

[Zara]

What if you leave the door open so the male can come out of his house?

 

[JaneLane]

@Zara he wont leave the cage on his own will most of time he is no problem but and feeds Amelia but if he is constantly fetilizing her I worry Amelia might pass from exhaustion