Boiling fertilized egg???

[DORIS123]

Hi everyone, i have 2 really cute lovebirds (bobo and jojo), i handraised them since they were 4 weeks old. Unfortunately, they decided to lay egg even when i removed all the shadowed space in the room. But, i freaking forgot about my paper shredder(always unplug). They decided to make a nest in there. this is bobo first time laying egg, and she is really responsible, i really don't want to disappoint her but i also can't have more birds. I checked the eggs under light and found out that they are firtilized(there Is no vein .. But you can see a bit of shadow on top of the egg. ). Is it really inhumane to boil them?? I don't want to sell them either because i don't want to give them to random people and have them suffering. I had bad experience seeing a colleague putting her budgie outside in the balcony when it is 2 degree. She had 2 before and 1 died. I took the othet budgie from her. I know sometimes pet owner don't treat their birds nicely. I really don't want to see bobo and Jojo kids to go through all these. I have high expectation in terms of people raising their pet. For my birds, i gave them a separate room to be in and i rarely caged them so that they can move around. I really do hope if the babies can have something like this and be happy, have a healthy diet (pellet, seed, fresh fruit)....

 

[Zara]

When was the egg laid?
You have a good window to remove eggs. If you look and see it is yellow with a yolk floating in there, they are fine to boil. Dark orange with veins means there is life developing and then that is your choise to boil or not. This still gives you a good 5 days or so of incubation, which is a lot of time.

One of my girls laid a couple of eggs, the second on wednesday, I left the country on thursday forgetting to switch the egg. I removed it on sunday with no problems.

But you can see a bit of shadow on top of the egg. )

Sounds like the yolk. The air sac will be noticable too.

Fertile eggs have veins and the colour is very distinct, it´s a dark orange almost reddish hue.

Edit; I have the egg still here, if you need a picture for comparison?

 

[DORIS123]

When was the egg laid?
You have a good window to remove eggs. If you look and see it is yellow with a yolk floating in there, they are fine to boil. Dark orange with veins means there is life developing and then that is your choise to boil or not. This still gives you a good 5 days or so of incubation, which is a lot of time.

One of my girls laid a couple of eggs, the second on wednesday, I left the country on thursday forgetting to switch the egg. I removed it on sunday with no problems.


Sounds like the yolk. The air sac will be noticable too.

Fertile eggs have veins and the colour is very distinct, it´s a dark orange almost reddish hue.

Edit; I have the egg still here, if you need a picture for comparison?

Yes Please, a picture will be awesome.

 

[DORIS123]

Yes Please, a picture will be awesome.

The first egg was lay on the 6 of November. The last one was lay on the 13. She has 4 eggs In total. And by the way, how would i know she finish layingm?

 

[Zara]

Yolk is to the top,


Same angle, you can see the air pocket to the right,


When I turn the egg, here is the yolk closest to the camera,


And from the other side,


These are fresh eggs or unfertilised eggs.

 

[Zara]

The first egg was lay on the 6 of November. The last one was lay on the 13. She has 4 eggs In total.

That´s a good cycle.
If she doesn´t lay another today or tomorrow, I would assume she has finished. If you are in EU of farther East, I think it is likely she has finished.
Hens will lay one egg every 24/48 hours.

They won´t brood the eggs right away. Usually they start aroung egg 2-4, depending.

Candle all of your eggs. If they look like mine, you can boil with no problems. You have one or two that potentially could be fertile, but you will see that clearly on the light. Turn on your phone LED and sit the eggs on top to see. Having dimmed lights in the room will help.

 

[Zara]

@DORIS123 these are fertile eggs, you can see the dark orange colour,

 

[DORIS123]

That´s a good cycle.
If she doesn´t lay another today or tomorrow, I would assume she has finished. If you are in EU of farther East, I think it is likely she has finished.
Hens will lay one egg every 24/48 hours.

They won´t brood the eggs right away. Usually they start aroung egg 2-4, depending.

Candle all of your eggs. If they look like mine, you can boil with no problems. You have one or two that potentially could be fertile, but you will see that clearly on the light. Turn on your phone LED and sit the eggs on top to see. Having dimmed lights in the room will help.

I actually decided not to do it. I will try to find them good family. Do you know where can i find these people. Because this is the first batch of eggs. I am not sure about anything. Maybe they are not fertilized, it was just my mistake. But they do looks like a the first picture you sent.

 

[DORIS123]

I actually decided not to do it. I will try to find them good family. Do you know where can i find these people. Because this is the first batch of eggs. I am not sure about anything. Maybe they are not fertilized, it was just my mistake. But they do looks like a the first picture you sent.

I really don't mean to breed them, it was really a mistake. I know it is really not good for the hen's body. How do i stop them from laying eggs. I don't want to give up either of the birds.

 

[Zara]

I actually decided not to do it. I will try to find them good family.

Is there a reason you changed your mind?

It is possible you have two girls, but if you do have a male and a female, you will need to remove eggs at some point or another. Lovebirds will lay and lay until they endanger themselves if left to do it. They need to have eggs removed, even breeders remove clutches.

I really don't mean to breed them, it was really a mistake.

It´s not your fault. My birds mate and lay eggs all the time. I switch mine for dummy eggs to avoid copious amounts of chicks. It is ok they lay eggs every once in a while, but if you don´t want the chicks or don´t know how to care for them and rear them, then it´s best to remove the eggs (boil and put back, or swap for dummy eggs).
First time parents don´t always make good parents. Sometimes chicks get abandoned etc It´s important the human knows how to step in, and it´s not easy.

How do i stop them from laying eggs. I don't want to give up either of the birds.

You don´t have to give either up. They seem happy together so that´s ok. Aim to get your birds, especially the hen, on a good diet with pellets, a little seed, and some veggies. If she won´t take to veggies, you can speak with your vet about calcium supplements to use.
They will always lay eggs, you can´t stop it but you can help try to minimize laying by switching up cage set up regularly, moving the food bowls, adding new toys, foraging activities. The other month I had the two girls in cages side by side laying eggs, I turned one cage and both girls stopped laying.

Post some pictures if you are unsure about your eggs, but like I said, if they look like mine (a floating yolk), you can boil and put back (you can try putting them in the cage instead of back in your shredder).
Edit; The egg I posted is from a true pair. It likely would be fertilised if I let the hen brood it longer. I have had three clutches from her, but I don´t want any more and now remove all of her eggs. So I remove before she broods it while there is still no life in there.

 

[DORIS123]

Is there a reason you changed your mind?

It is possible you have two girls, but if you do have a male and a female, you will need to remove eggs at some point or another. Lovebirds will lay and lay until they endanger themselves if left to do it. They need to have eggs removed, even breeders remove clutches.


It´s not your fault. My birds mate and lay eggs all the time. I switch mine for dummy eggs to avoid copious amounts of chicks. It is ok they lay eggs every once in a while, but if you don´t want the chicks or don´t know how to care for them and rear them, then it´s best to remove the eggs (boil and put back, or swap for dummy eggs).
First time parents don´t always make good parents. Sometimes chicks get abandoned etc It´s important the human knows how to step in, and it´s not easy.


You don´t have to give either up. They seem happy together so that´s ok. Aim to get your birds, especially the hen, on a good diet with pellets, a little seed, and some veggies. If she won´t take to veggies, you can speak with your vet about calcium supplements to use.
They will always lay eggs, you can´t stop it but you can help try to minimize laying by switching up cage set up regularly, moving the food bowls, adding new toys, foraging activities. The other month I had the two girls in cages side by side laying eggs, I turned one cage and both girls stopped laying.

Post some pictures if you are unsure about your eggs, but like I said, if they look like mine (a floating yolk), you can boil and put back (you can try putting them in the cage instead of back in your shredder).
Edit; The egg I posted is from a true pair. It likely would be fertilised if I let the hen brood it longer. I have had three clutches from her, but I don´t want any more and now remove all of her eggs. So I remove before she broods it while there is still no life in there.

Thank you so much. Really informative!!! I might keep one egg for the budgie. Because the bonded pair gang up on him. And the budgie is so lonely. I know lovebird would not get along with budgie if they don't grow up together, But i am trying to let them get used to each other. Now i put them in different room and all their interaction is under my supervision if they are going to be together. Hopefully it will work. Thank you again for all these info. I will try to take a picture of the eggs.

 

[Zara]

!! I might keep one egg for the budgie. Because the bonded pair gang up on him. And the budgie is so lonely. I know lovebird would not get along with budgie if they don't grow up together,

That's a bad idea. I have seen a couple of budgie lovie couples on social media, but in general, the budgie would likely push and the lovie would bite and hurt the budgie. They definitely are not a good match.
I think a budgie friend for a budgie really is the best choice. @Ripshod may be able to help with budgie stuff, he knows a lot lore than me.
But I know lovebirds, and they are stubborn and can be "aggressive" . Their bites are strong enough to take off toes.
If you kept any chicks they would have to be housed one bird per cage until pairs are made, then you can have one bonded pair per cage. If you have any sibling pairs, you would have to remove all their eggs for life.

 

[DORIS123]

For Now what i can see is that the budgie is trying hard to play with the lovebird. He is not scared of them, But usually what i do is to let them interact one at a time. So bobo out with budgie, and then put bobo back and Jojo out with budgie.all under supervison. But If it doesn't work, i will think about rehome the budgie.

 

[Zara]

I would keep the budge well away from the hen with the eggs. It would be quite dangerous for the little one to be allowed near.

Maybe some budgie owners can give some advice on what to do about your budgie in terms of friends and socialising.

 

[fashionfobie]

In regards to the budgie and lovebirds together. I think it is important to try to understand it from the birds point of view. Budgies and lovebirds can surely get along from time to time, but they do not share all the same body language. There will always be a limit to their friendship. Budgies will always benefit from budgies more than any other type of bird. I also caution that you don't confuse curiosity or bullying with play either. I do not know your birds like you do, but do your best to really consider the body language such as the position of their head, how fluffed they are, and how they are holding their wings. Your budgie may be friendly and curious or contrarily suspicious and worried. The nesting lovebirds will be more protective of their area, and your budgie may be getting extra attention/stress. It is hard to say, and I am not telling you I know your bird. I am just hoping to encourage you to reassess and to not assume.

If I were in your shoes, I would boil the eggs or remove the eggs. Breeding birds is not something to take lightly. You cannot guarantee that the chicks won't have problems or deformities. And as Zara mentioned, you don't want your hen laying too many eggs too quickly. You love her very much, and it would be absolutely heart breaking if she had any complications from laying. You did a good job removing nesting spots, maybe it is time to remove the unused paper shredder from your bird area. It may fix all your problems.

 

[DORIS123]

I would keep the budge well away from the hen with the eggs. It would be quite dangerous for the little one to be allowed near.

Maybe some budgie owners can give some advice on what to do about your budgie in terms of friends and socialising.

Hey Zara, i took the pictures. Please let me know if they are fertilized Or not. Thank you!!!

 

[Zara]

Going off your pictures, I would be comfortable boiling those.

 

[DORIS123]

Going off your pictures, I would be comfortable boiling those.

Can you tell whether it is fertilized Or not? Or it needs more days to show?

 

[Zara]

No.

If you wait to see if it fertilises, then it leaves you with a difficult decision to make as to whether you are ethicly able to boil.

Personally, I don´t want to boil eggs that are develpoing life inside, so I always remove in that first week window before that happens. Though in saying that, I do have a sibling male female pair, and if for some reason I didn´t get the egg in time and it started developing some veins, I would destroy the egg.

 

[Zara]

I wonder that “How are birds’ eggs fertilized?

This might answer your question John;

Bird Reproduction and Anatomy - How Do Birds Reproduce?

How do birds reproduce sexually? How do they mate? Do birds need to amte to lay eggs? Here is a diagram of the reproductive organs.

www.birdwatching-bliss.com