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Breeding lovebirds eggsitting

GreenBubbles

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Alright so I'm new to breeding. I have a pair male and female lovebirds and they have some eggs in the nest. As of right now they have laid 5 eggs in total. However the initial 2 had cracked. They have breaded before and the last time they breeded only one of the eggs hatched. After I found out the initial 2 eggs were cracked I decided to put some cushioning/cloth in their nest box to help them with breeding and moved my other 2 lovebirds to a different cage. I'm checking right and seeing that the female is only sitting on 1 of the 3 eggs. I tried to cluster them together and checked back again and she still split them up and is only incubating 1 of the 3 eggs. Just wanted to know what's up with that and why she was doing it
 

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Shezbug

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Zara

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Welcome to the Avenue :)

Please do your research before breeding. Basic knowledge is essential.
Are your adults healthy? On a good diet, lots of exercise?
Do you have a brooder ready? Formula, thermometres?
Do you have a mentor? Someone to help guide you through the processes.
Are you experienced in handfeeding?

What happened to the last chick?

Bedding is really, really important. A blanket is no good, put wood shavings in the box, as deep as you can make it.
Wrong bedding can cause cracked eggs.

the female is only sitting on 1 of the 3 eggs. I tried to cluster them together and checked back again and she still split them up and is only incubating 1 of the 3 eggs.
She could be cooling the eggs. Stop moving them.
Or, she is still learning how to breed and just doesn´t know.
Another possibility, she can sense there is no life in the egg. Have you candled it? If there is life in the egg, and she is not brooding it, and you are 100% sure she is not cooling the egg, then you can put it in an incubator.
 

Matto

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Put wood chips in and stop messing with them. Let the hen brood them as she sees fit. Whatever you get, you get.
 

GreenBubbles

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Welcome to the Avenue :)

Please do your research before breeding. Basic knowledge is essential.
Are your adults healthy? On a good diet, lots of exercise?
Do you have a brooder ready? Formula, thermometres?
Do you have a mentor? Someone to help guide you through the processes.
Are you experienced in handfeeding?

What happened to the last chick?

Bedding is really, really important. A blanket is no good, put wood shavings in the box, as deep as you can make it.
Wrong bedding can cause cracked eggs.


She could be cooling the eggs. Stop moving them.
Or, she is still learning how to breed and just doesn´t know.
Another possibility, she can sense there is no life in the egg. Have you candled it? If there is life in the egg, and she is not brooding it, and you are 100% sure she is not cooling the egg, then you can put it in an incubator.
Thank you for the reply. I have done research before. My birds are healthy. I provide them with a mixed seed diet and lots of vegetables and fruits and a cuttle bone. they are always active as they are in a big vision cage. I don't have a brooder but I do have a formula and a thermometer. I don't have a mentor. I have been breeding on my own with the help of the internet. I have experience with hand feeding. The last chick is completely healthy and has grown up now. hes about 5-6 months old. I understand breeding is important which is why i had to make some changes regarding the bedding. Initially i had provided them with paper for bedding and they would make long strips etc. however I have provided them with a cloth now and the eggs haven't cracked anymore. However, I will definitely check out wood shavings and try to get them whenever I can. I don't think she is learning as she is about 2 years old now. she has already had success before. I tried candling the eggs but I'm unsure. She only laid them last week and i don't see any huge difference. 1 of the eggs does have a slight brighter yellow then the others thats for sure. My guess is she might be incubating one at a time however I'm not sure if they do that. I really appreciate all the help. thank yo
 

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I would recommend checking on her once a day and otherwise letting her do her thing. She needs privacy. A quick peek once a day should be enough to head off any problems.

If you do not have a proper way to artificially incubate and egg then you have no choice but to let her do the best she can with them.

Birds sometimes do take a few clutches to learn from to be diligent parents and even then they can be unpredictable.

It is best to let the parents handle the work of brooding and raising babies unless there is a need to step in. You will need to prepare a brooder if you intend to be able to handfeed a birds before it is fully feathered. Since you are doing this with the help of the internet I'll let you figure out what to do for a brooder. There are a few options. You'll also need to able to monitor, temperature and humidity and the weight of the babies. Now is the time to order the things you need. If you wait until you actually need them then it will be too late.

Best wishes to you and the lovies.
 

GreenBubbles

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I would recommend checking on her once a day and otherwise letting her do her thing. She needs privacy. A quick peek once a day should be enough to head off any problems.

If you do not have a proper way to artificially incubate and egg then you have no choice but to let her do the best she can with them.

Birds sometimes do take a few clutches to learn from to be diligent parents and even then they can be unpredictable.

It is best to let the parents handle the work of brooding and raising babies unless there is a need to step in. You will need to prepare a brooder if you intend to be able to handfeed a birds before it is fully feathered. Since you are doing this with the help of the internet I'll let you figure out what to do for a brooder. There are a few options. You'll also need to able to monitor, temperature and humidity and the weight of the babies. Now is the time to order the things you need. If you wait until you actually need them then it will be too late.

Best wishes to you and the lovies.
Thank you very much for the reply Laurie! . turns out it was only temporary she is sitting on all the eggs now. I saw her move the eggs deeper into the nest and she is now sitting on all of them. I candled the eggs while she was eating and was able to find out that 2 of the eggs were fertile with red veins while the other 2 I could only see a yellow fluid. its been around a week since the first egg. will update. Thanks for the tips :p.She has had 1 baby before and I think I handfed him about a week after since when they initially hatch they need the mother to feed them and her feed has enzymes i believe that keep the baby healthy and safe. however after a certain period i did switch to handfeeding. he is very healthy and a happy bird. This time I will let her raise the chicks and monitor, though I am very tempted to raise them as I'm home all day rn cause of the pandemic. Best wishes!!
 
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Zara

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I could only see a yellow fluid. its been around a week since the first egg.
A week since the first egg means the 2 newer eggs are way to early to check fertility, so they will appear yellow (as you described).
 

GreenBubbles

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A week since the first egg means the 2 newer eggs are way to early to check fertility, so they will appear yellow (as you described).
Thanks for the reply Zara!! Yes in fact i miscounted when the initial egg was layed. I can't remember the exact date but she had laid 6 eggs in total and its been a couple days since she laid the last egg around 3 days ago, so i believe the first egg was laid on 13th. I have kept my other 2 lovebirds separated from the mother as I believe they distract her too much and she gets irritated sometimes when they always peek outside her nest. I have put them in a smaller cage for the time being. Although It is a travel cage it will do the job .Her mate is doing an excellent job in tending to her as he always feeds her and is there for her when she needs him. so far it looks like there are 3 eggs out of the 4 that look fertile. the 4th one might be recent which is maybe why it hasn't shown any development in blood vessels yet. I will keep you guys updated! and post pics once they hatch :p
 

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I´m a firm believer in housing only a single lovebird or one bonded pair per cage. They are so territorial, and flip when they get hormonal. It´s just dangerous, unless it is a large aviary.
Definitely best to remove any bird that re not the two parents. The other bird will be fine in the travel cage until you can order a cage for them.

She has had 1 baby before and I think I handfed him about a week after
Was there a reason you handfed the chicks at one week old? (Sorry if you already said, I read a lot of threads)
The norm would be around 3.5-4 weeks old if you´re just handfeeding to acustom them to humans. I handfeed my little ones at 25 days old +/-, and even at that, I have allowed the parents to see the chicks daily (I have rehomed 50%, but the others are still here and two (the first two) are still very close to their parents).

since she laid the last egg around 3 days ago
Yea that sounds a little too early to tell yet. Starting on the 13th sounds about right for 6 eggs.
Did you manage to pick up a bag of shavings? They will help increase chance of a successful clutch. Not only for lessening cracks, but also for absorbing moisture, keeping the nest higienic, and reducing the chances of DIS.

Do ypu have any pictures of your first chick? I know they are adult now, but I´d still love to see :)
 

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The shavings also help once babies are hatched, to give them good support. And it is safer for them than a cloth.

For what it's worth, I leave all eggs in the nest regardless. And I think you were right to keep the others away - hens incubating eggs can be nervous with their friends being too close.
 

Zara

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For what it's worth, I leave all eggs in the nest regardless.
Me too. I left the three dummy eggs in the nest with my last two chicks for almost a week so they could use them for support.
 

GreenBubbles

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I´m a firm believer in housing only a single lovebird or one bonded pair per cage. They are so territorial, and flip when they get hormonal. It´s just dangerous, unless it is a large aviary.
Definitely best to remove any bird that re not the two parents. The other bird will be fine in the travel cage until you can order a cage for them.


Was there a reason you handfed the chicks at one week old? (Sorry if you already said, I read a lot of threads)
The norm would be around 3.5-4 weeks old if you´re just handfeeding to acustom them to humans. I handfeed my little ones at 25 days old +/-, and even at that, I have allowed the parents to see the chicks daily (I have rehomed 50%, but the others are still here and two (the first two) are still very close to their parents).


Yea that sounds a little too early to tell yet. Starting on the 13th sounds about right for 6 eggs.
Did you manage to pick up a bag of shavings? They will help increase chance of a successful clutch. Not only for lessening cracks, but also for absorbing moisture, keeping the nest higienic, and reducing the chances of DIS.

Do ypu have any pictures of your first chick? I know they are adult now, but I´d still love to see :)
I´m a firm believer in housing only a single lovebird or one bonded pair per cage. They are so territorial, and flip when they get hormonal. It´s just dangerous, unless it is a large aviary.
Definitely best to remove any bird that re not the two parents. The other bird will be fine in the travel cage until you can order a cage for them.


Was there a reason you handfed the chicks at one week old? (Sorry if you already said, I read a lot of threads)
The norm would be around 3.5-4 weeks old if you´re just handfeeding to acustom them to humans. I handfeed my little ones at 25 days old +/-, and even at that, I have allowed the parents to see the chicks daily (I have rehomed 50%, but the others are still here and two (the first two) are still very close to their parents).


Yea that sounds a little too early to tell yet. Starting on the 13th sounds about right for 6 eggs.
Did you manage to pick up a bag of shavings? They will help increase chance of a successful clutch. Not only for lessening cracks, but also for absorbing moisture, keeping the nest higienic, and reducing the chances of DIS.

Do ypu have any pictures of your first chick? I know they are adult now, but I´d still love to see :)
My bad. This is the link I followed for handfeeding him when he was a baby Hand Feeding Baby Lovebirds From Day 1 I believe it was 2 weeks not 1 week. It was a long time ago so I forgot. I didnt separate the chick from their parents when I did handfeed him. I put him in a small box with a blanket and his parents could freely see him by comming out of their cage. Il post some pics
 

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GreenBubbles

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My bad. This is the link I followed for handfeeding him when he was a baby Hand Feeding Baby Lovebirds From Day 1 I believe it was 2 weeks not 1 week. It was a long time ago so I forgot. I didnt separate the chick from their parents when I did handfeed him. I put him in a small box with a blanket and his parents could freely see him by comming out of their cage. Il post some pics.
 

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