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About eggs

elintere

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Hi everyone. Today I was cleaning out the cage and saw an egg . Thought they need nesting box to breed ,wasn't planning to do that yet they had something alse in mind I always use lots of newspapers when I clean cage as they like tearing it apart. Mummy seems happy sitting on the egg all the time.
Happy to be proud parent but could you guys advice me what to do please? I put lots of soft wood shavings ,lots of newspapers which they have turned into small pieces of mess put nice box inside as thought they might use it but they just tore it in pieces to use for nest which they built out of lots of newspapers and made nice cosy home
Now here is an issue - if that's where they want to have it it means I can't clean cage for like 3 months now lol any advice on what to do please as they seem to be very comfortable in their newspaper den . Anything I should get for mummy ? I have pek blocks and calcium and ordering some vitamins to add to water,anything alse I could do please? Thank you I'm advance ☺
 

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Aves

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Don't add vitamins without a vet consultation. Remove the egg and boil it and then put it back in or replace it with a dummy egg.
 

Zara

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The way you have the cage set up is not good for breeding chicks. Like you said, the problem is cleaning. If they are going to incubate, you won´t be able to clean until a good week after the chicks hatch, and at that, you still have to find out how to get the parents away to let you in there.
Internal nesting situations are not ideal - if the parents get aggressively protective (very common) you won´t get near the chicks. The problem with that is you can´t check on them daily to be sure they are safe and being fed. Novice breeders (the birds) don´t always make good parents the first time as they are learning and often need a helping (human) hand. If your birds get protective over the ¨nest¨, then this now turns into quite the ordeal and can stress the adults.

If these are fresh eggs, I would encourage you to remove them. For linnies I do not know if they need a dummy egg (or their egg boiled and cooled) - this is something done for birds who re-lay lost eggs. @Matto will know the answer to that.
If you are not sure if these eggs are fresh, put your mobile phone on aeroplane mode and hold the egg up to the LED flashlight - if it glows yellow (you can sometimes see a round orange yolk) you´re ok to remove as there is still no life in the egg. If it glows orange/red with little lines (veins), it means life has already started to form - this one is up to you if you are comfortable removing the egg in this stage.
As you said you found the egg while cleaning, I´m going to assume this is a fresh egg or you would have found it earlier.

Let´s see what Matt says about the eggs, and if they need to be replaced or not. So we know whether you can remove all that box and clean up, or if you need to keep some of the nest around for the eggs to go on.

In the future, if you offer boxes to play with, do so on top of the cage or out of the cage and remove before the next day. If you offer them inside the cage, remove them at the end of the day.
 

Matto

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I'm assuming you have a male and female and think the egg might be fertilized? I agree that this is not a good set-up for nesting, you will want to remove the egg and replace it with a dummy egg or white marble of similar size. If you want to breed in the future, prepare for it ahead of time with things like a nest box, brooder, handfeeding equipment, proper diet, etc. What is their diet? If it is seed-based, I would agree with giving them extra calcium.
 

Matto

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Also, hate to be *that guy* but the cage looks awfully small. Have you considered getting them a bigger one? Birds with access to proper exercise are healthier and at a lower risk for egg-binding.
 

elintere

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Thank you very much for your reply. ☺ Yes it is fresh egg,I clean cage every other day so it couldn't of been more then 2 days old. I don't put boxes in their cage ,I put lots of newspapers as they love to tear them apart and when I was cleaning I found it between newspapers . I put the box in when I found the egg in a hope that they might use it for their egg but instead they are tearing it apart and making more comfy nest. All those newspapers lifted up etc is what they made,they have done nice and cosy nest underneath and mummy is sitting there most of the time.
Is there a way to save the egg and I suppose there might be more coming? I was thinking to get a larger cage and couple more Linnies some point this year so I took it as a sign breeding was definitely not on cards and as I said I thought they need nesting box to get broody,never thought they would lay eggs in newspapers if there is a way to save the egg and lend a helping hand to make it happen I would be up for it. They don't seem to be interested in the box I gave them as a nest so don't think if I buy nesting box now they will want to move there. Any other options ? Thank you
 

elintere

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Thanks Matto. I wasn't planning on breeding that's why I don't have a nesting box and never though they would lay eggs in newspapers. Cage is decent size but I was planning to get a larger cage and couple more Linnies this year and now this has happened if it's possible I would rather save any eggs laid and help to make it happen then destroy them and still spend money to buy Linnies if it makes sense.
 

Shezbug

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It will cost you much more to try to hatch this egg than it will to buy a few more linnies.

Would I be right to guess these birds are your first birds?
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Hi Evija,
You've been given good advise and by all means should follow it. I understand you want to save the egg but I have to assume you have not done any research into the requirements for breeding linnies or what you would need in terms of supplies and equipment needed should you have to hand rear tiny ( and I mean tiny) chicks if the parents refuse to take care of them. It's a daunting task if you aren't 100% prepared. I know you weren't planning on it now but since your hen has already laid an egg it's time to make appropriate changes, do as suggested and start studying the entire process.

How old are your Linnies? Do you know for sure they are male and female? Visual sexing is not always reliable - DNA testing is more effective.. have you done that? Can they fly in the current cage you have them in? An adequate amount of flying space is necessary to ensure good fitness and minimal stress and will help your hen avoid egg binding even though she has successfully laid her first egg. What are the dimensions of their cage? How long have you had them and what exactly is their complete diet you feed them?

Your priority at this point should be investing in a larger flight cage that will allow for flight with a breeder door that will allow you to hang a proper nest box on the exterior of the cage, acquiring the necessary equipment, supplies, and supplement their diet well in advance of breeding. I would hold off on purchasing more Linnies until you can give the two you have what they need and study up extensively on breeding linnies, egg laying, how to candle eggs, brooder requirements if you have to hand raise, a mentor in your area knowledgable with this species to advise should problems arise and a qualified veterinarian to consult with. Raising birds can come with serious complications to the hen and babies.
 

elintere

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Thank you very much for your honest reply Mockinbirdiva. Looks like that's the best option.
At current cage they have decent space ,can't remember size on top of my head and on top of it they are let out to fly around or more like walk around as they don't seem interested in flying and i read that's common for Linnies.
I have had them for well over a year,they where horn 2019. Have been fed on seeds ,I buy millet and other seeds for them all the time,peck blocks ,calcium powder and they get fruit and veg all the time. They are well loved and looked after birds.
As mentioned in my previous comments I'm not planning to breed them at all and this was a surprise ,I read as long as you don't add nesting box they wount mate so that was a surprise for me for that to happen. I haven't DNA tested them as I didn't plan to breed them and I sexed them by colour on their feathers etc .and I wasn't reading up about breeding and raising chicks as again I wasn't planning to breed them . I did plan to get couple more Linnies as I like the blue colour too and saw some nice size cages but that's just something I'm planning to do some point not now. I really appreciate all of input as beeing new to birds I was thrown a challenge and surprise and I didn't know how to react to it so I can see best is to not let them proceed. Do I wait until hen lays all eggs and then discard them or take one by one as she lays them please? Thanks
 

Zara

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Do I wait until hen lays all eggs and then discard them or take one by one as she lays them please?
Boil each egg as it is laid. Allow to cool completely before putting a single dot with Sharpie (brand marker) and put it back in the nest.

I read as long as you don't add nesting box they wount mate so that was a surprise for me for that to happen.
It happens to lots of people. Most take what the store tells them as fact, or read things like you read online and it´s simply not true. There´s plenty of info here on AA to read around and talk bird with us - we´re always learning new stuff together :)
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Thank you very much for your honest reply Mockinbirdiva. Looks like that's the best option.
At current cage they have decent space ,can't remember size on top of my head and on top of it they are let out to fly around or more like walk around as they don't seem interested in flying and i read that's common for Linnies.
I have had them for well over a year,they where horn 2019. Have been fed on seeds ,I buy millet and other seeds for them all the time,peck blocks ,calcium powder and they get fruit and veg all the time. They are well loved and looked after birds.
As mentioned in my previous comments I'm not planning to breed them at all and this was a surprise ,I read as long as you don't add nesting box they wount mate so that was a surprise for me for that to happen. I haven't DNA tested them as I didn't plan to breed them and I sexed them by colour on their feathers etc .and I wasn't reading up about breeding and raising chicks as again I wasn't planning to breed them . I did plan to get couple more Linnies as I like the blue colour too and saw some nice size cages but that's just something I'm planning to do some point not now. I really appreciate all of input as beeing new to birds I was thrown a challenge and surprise and I didn't know how to react to it so I can see best is to not let them proceed. Do I wait until hen lays all eggs and then discard them or take one by one as she lays them please? Thanks
We're glad you did join and inquire what you should do. It may have not been what you wanted to hear but we have the best interest in the birds as well as you. I am glad you do give your birds time out to fly or get about. Linnies are fascinating little birds. We have a few linnie owners here on the forum. They may be helpful in giving you tips on transitioning your birds to a pelleted diet and share what vegetables their birds like. If you have an avian vet you can ask about having them DNA sex your birds so you'll know if you have a true pair.
 
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