Should I take Dummy Eggs Away?

[oliviikate]

Forgive me if this is in the wrong thread! I did see the dummy eggs master post but I didn't think I could find anything that currently fits my situation.

Earlier this season my canary hen was laying eggs like crazy. Definitely too many. I got some dummy eggs as quickly as I could that have been in her food bowl (considering that's where she'd been laying the eggs). She took to them immediately and sat on them exactly like she's supposed to. During all this I ended up having to rush her to the vet and found out that on top of all this she'd come down with a bacterial infection. I got her all her medicine and she seems to have healed up well from that part, but it has been nearly a month since she started sitting on those eggs! She still eats and drinks enough from what I can tell, but it has been far past any normal incubation period at this point. She's had such a rough couple months that I don't want to just take them away and cause another problem, but I also don't want her to get too malnourished from sitting all day every day.

I apologize if I've messed up somewhere along the way, finding good sources for this type of thing has been pretty tough.

Most sources I can find online suggest I let her sit on the egg until she gets bored. Is this still the right thing to do or should I take them away?

 

[Mizzely]

I would give her more time. While normal incubation is about 2 weeks, she's had a lot going on this month that may make her take extra time to give up

 

[Peachfaced]

I'd wait until she gets tired of sitting on them.

 

[oliviikate]

I would give her more time. While normal incubation is about 2 weeks, she's had a lot going on this month that may make her take extra time to give up

I'd wait until she gets tired of sitting on them.

Thank you both! This is what I thought as well. I appreciate the feedback

 

[oliviikate]

Hello all, just a little update:

My other canary Scout has started laying as well. All her eggs looked and felt healthy as far as I could tell, but I switched them out for dummies as well. The issue is, she laid them in the same food bowl that Poppy's eggs are in. Now the 2 hens are taking turns sitting on the entirety of the eggs (7 total). They tend to kick each other off the eggs and when one is not sitting on them she will sit in a different food bowl (that has no eggs in it!). Poor girl is so confused. It's been SO difficult to find answers online, if anyone has any advice please send it my way!

 

[Peachfaced]

I feel like you need a full clutch worth of eggs for each hen, in separate bowls.

 

[oliviikate]

I feel like you need a full clutch worth of eggs for each hen, in separate bowls.

Ok, I moved some of the eggs to a seperate bowl. Hoping they catch on :0 Thank you!

 

[Peachfaced]

Ok, I moved some of the eggs to a seperate bowl. Hoping they catch on :0 Thank you!

You mentioned that your second hen is sitting in an empty nest, which gave me hope that she'd be willing to sit on her own nest - she'll probably be happy with her own clutch of dummy eggs.

 

[oliviikate]

You mentioned that your second hen is sitting in an empty nest, which gave me hope that she'd be willing to sit on her own nest - she'll probably be happy with her own clutch of dummy eggs.

They both have their own seperate bowls now. They each sit on one at each given time, but they do seem to like to switch throughout the day. They both like the original bowl, lol. As long as no one is getting too territorial or anything.