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Small Conure Laid an egg now nothing?

StandUpand

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Let me start by saying the bird breeding business was my sister's who passed recently and we inherited all these birds. So I really wasn't expecting any of them to start laying esp after a move and no boxes put up. To my shock the sun conures have laid three as well as another pair of smaller course one is green and the other is a really beautiful teal color, they laid one as well. So I put up boxes and moved their eggs into them. The sun conure has started sleeping in the box and I can only assume is laying, it took her a day to do that though. The other pair took to The box immediately and have been both sleeping in it. Only the female sun has been in the box at night though. My issue is with the teal female. I have been feeding both pairs millet and boiled egg as well as a bird mix with pellets and seeds. The teal bird has only laid one egg, I can seea small buldge on the front of her belly MakiNG HER look pregnant. Still no other eggs though. How many days between eggs can they go? I don't see her straining and their are no other issues other then her looking pregnant. I simply cannot afford to take her to a vet though. Do I need to be doing anything else for her? I've added boiled eggs and millet to her diet bc I saw it suggested somewhere, not sure if it's actually any good though. What can I do at home for her if this is egg binding and should I be worries now or can she still pass this egg? Please help!
 

Matto

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First off, that's not an adequate diet for breeding birds. They should be on at least 70% pellets, breeder pellets if possible.
Secondly, if you can't afford to bring birds to the vet you should not be breeding them, full stop. I'd recommend selling them to experienced breeders.
Typically birds lay eggs every other day, but sometimes they can go 2 days between eggs. Keep an eye on her and if she starts acting sick more may need to be done, but I'm not sure how much you can really do at home. I would recommend putting her in a warm room or brooder at that point. Many people run a hot shower and put the bird in the room with steam.
 

Sparkles99

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My condolences on the loss of your sister.

We don’t actually know what the diet is. The OP didn’t say - just that she’d supplemented it recently.

She wasn’t breeding anything. Her late sister was.

Is there a bird club or rescue in your area? An avian vet could give your contact info to some experienced breeders. So could a pet store.

I don’t know about breeding, but think you need in person help. It sounds like you may not know at least one of the species too. Some of the folks here could help with that. How many pairs of birds did you inherit? Are they all breeder birds or were any kept as pets?

Welcome to the Avenue, despite the unfortunate circumstances.
 

StandUpand

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First off, that's not an adequate diet for breeding birds. They should be on at least 70% pellets, breeder pellets if possible.
Secondly, if you can't afford to bring birds to the vet you should not be breeding them, full stop. I'd recommend selling them to experienced breeders.
Typically birds lay eggs every other day, but sometimes they can go 2 days between eggs. Keep an eye on her and if she starts acting sick more may need to be done, but I'm not sure how much you can really do at home. I would recommend putting her in a warm room or brooder at that point. Many people run a hot shower and put the bird in the room with steam.
I said, I had ADDED THOSE THINGS to her normal diet, NOT that that was there entire diet. They get a mix of pellets, seeds, and fresh vegetables. And like I said, my sister was the bird breeder, she died. I wasn't expecting or even interested in breeding birds but it has been handed to us, so you roll with it. I've had a hell of a time selling them, and wasn't trying to breed them, it just happened. I can't find the DNA papers for the birds and her fiance is not exactly friendly since he's being investigated for her death which I'm not going to get into. Anyways, I will try your suggestions. Do I put her in there alone? The whole cage? Move her to another cage?
 

StandUpand

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I said, I had ADDED THOSE THINGS to her normal diet, NOT that that was there entire diet. They get a mix of pellets, seeds, and fresh vegetables. And like I said, my sister was the bird breeder, she died. I wasn't expecting or even interested in breeding birds but it has been handed to us, so you roll with it. I've had a hell of a time selling them, and wasn't trying to breed them, it just happened. I can't find the DNA papers for the birds and her fiance is not exactly friendly since he's being investigated for her death which I'm not going to get into. Anyways, I will try your suggestions. Do I put her in there alone? The whole cage? Move her to another cage?
What is the longest between eggs that they have been known to go? Is it always every day or two days or can they sometimes take longer and still be ok?
 

Matto

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Sorry for your loss. At the moment I would just recommend feeding foods high in calcium, like kale and egg, and keeping a close eye on her. If she starts acting strangely (sleepy, wings drooped, trouble breathing, etc) that is when you would need to move her to a hot room or steam bath. You can just put the whole cage in there, but be careful that it doesn't get too hot or steamy (it should be like a sauna, not so steamy that you can't breathe) and then be very careful not to move them out of the heat too quickly. You need them to acclimate slowly back to normal. Keep them away from drafts, too.
 

StandUpand

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My condolences on the loss of your sister.

We don’t actually know what the diet is. The OP didn’t say - just that she’d supplemented it recently.

She wasn’t breeding anything. Her late sister was.

Is there a bird club or rescue in your area? An avian vet could give your contact info to some experienced breeders. So could a pet store.

I don’t know about breeding, but think you need in person help. It sounds like you may not know at least one of the species too. Some of the folks here could help with that. How many pairs of birds did you inherit? Are they all breeder birds or were any kept as pets?

Welcome to the Avenue, despite the unfortunate circumstances.
First off, I would like to thank you for being understanding of the situation. It is much appreciated.
As far as the birds that have been inherited there are five cockatiels. One blue crowned conure. A peach faced conure. There is a pair of conures that are either pineapple, cinnamon, yellow sided, etc, their is a single that is similar in color they all have grey/tan heads. Their is a pair of sun conures. There are two that were hatchlings and we're hand fed that are either jenday or something similar, they have heads similar to the sun's but have green wings. They are very loud as well. In total their are 5 pairs, 4 singles, and 5 baby cockatiels that were hand fed. I can post pictures if someone can help to identify them.

I know that blue crown at one point was a pet, but she hasn't been handled in while as she doesn't seem to like me very much and I'm intimidated by her beak size, lol.

I was planning on selling all the birds but I can't find their papers and even though I had someone come out to identify them she really wasn't sure on a lot of them so I'm back where I started. Now I have eggs. I wasn't expecting them to do that but we are rolling with it. And at least now I know that at least two of the pairs are breeders.
Anyways, thank you for your help and understanding. Do you know how long they can go between each egg? Is it ever longer then two days?

My condolences on the loss of your sister.

We don’t actually know what the diet is. The OP didn’t say - just that she’d supplemented it recently.

She wasn’t breeding anything. Her late sister was.

Is there a bird club or rescue in your area? An avian vet could give your contact info to some experienced breeders. So could a pet store.

I don’t know about breeding, but think you need in person help. It sounds like you may not know at least one of the species too. Some of the folks here could help with that. How many pairs of birds did you inherit? Are they all breeder birds or were any kept as pets?

Welcome to the Avenue, despite the unfortunate circumstances.
Thank for your kind and understanding response. It is much appreciated.

In total there are 19 birds now. Five cockatiels, one blue crown, two sun conures, two possible jendays they are green wings with sun conure color heads and bodies. The rest are a mix of smaller conures that are various colors. They could be green checks, pineapple,cinnamon, yellow side, etc. Some have dark heads, some have a Tanish colored heads. Some have pearl collars, others don't. One of them I believe is a peach face and she talks. Right now four of them are singles. But I think that the bird that's with the peach face could be separated? Several of them were hatchlings when she got themnd were and fed formula which I took over when she passed. I can post pics if someone can help identify them
Also I have great news! I went to check the nesting box with the teal bird in question and decided to check it thoroughly. And to my surprise she had actually laid another egg! I had thought he one viable in the best was the one I had moved from he cage for her, but she actually had laid a new one and had kept the first egg hidden in the best material! What a relief, though! I was really worried there for a while. Anyways, I would like to sell most of the birds, but I need to know what we have and what they are worth as I know my sister spent a lot of money on them. Thousands in total for the whole set up.

Thanks again for your kindness!
 

StandUpand

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First off, I would like to thank you for being understanding of the situation. It is much appreciated.
As far as the birds that have been inherited there are five cockatiels. One blue crowned conure. A peach faced conure. There is a pair of conures that are either pineapple, cinnamon, yellow sided, etc, their is a single that is similar in color they all have grey/tan heads. Their is a pair of sun conures. There are two that were hatchlings and we're hand fed that are either jenday or something similar, they have heads similar to the sun's but have green wings. They are very loud as well. In total their are 5 pairs, 4 singles, and 5 baby cockatiels that were hand fed. I can post pictures if someone can help to identify them.

I know that blue crown at one point was a pet, but she hasn't been handled in while as she doesn't seem to like me very much and I'm intimidated by her beak size, lol.

I was planning on selling all the birds but I can't find their papers and even though I had someone come out to identify them she really wasn't sure on a lot of them so I'm back where I started. Now I have eggs. I wasn't expecting them to do that but we are rolling with it. And at least now I know that at least two of the pairs are breeders.
Anyways, thank you for your help and understanding. Do you know how long they can go between each egg? Is it ever longer then two days?


Thank for your kind and understanding response. It is much appreciated.

In total there are 19 birds now. Five cockatiels, one blue crown, two sun conures, two possible jendays they are green wings with sun conure color heads and bodies. The rest are a mix of smaller conures that are various colors. They could be green checks, pineapple,cinnamon, yellow side, etc. Some have dark heads, some have a Tanish colored heads. Some have pearl collars, others don't. One of them I believe is a peach face and she talks. Right now four of them are singles. But I think that the bird that's with the peach face could be separated? Several of them were hatchlings when she got themnd were and fed formula which I took over when she passed. I can post pics if someone can help identify them
Also I have great news! I went to check the nesting box with the teal bird in question and decided to check it thoroughly. And to my surprise she had actually laid another egg! I had thought he one viable in the best was the one I had moved from he cage for her, but she actually had laid a new one and had kept the first egg hidden in the best material! What a relief, though! I was really worried there for a while. Anyways, I would like to sell most of the birds, but I need to know what we have and what they are worth as I know my sister spent a lot of money on them. Thousands in total for the whole set up.

Thanks again for your kindness!
Sorry for the double response my phone went haywire and I thought my original reply that's on top had been lost, so I started over! Then when I posted I saw it had moved the first reply to the top. The bottom part was my attempt to remember what I had originally said, lol!
 

StandUpand

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Sorry for your loss. At the moment I would just recommend feeding foods high in calcium, like kale and egg, and keeping a close eye on her. If she starts acting strangely (sleepy, wings drooped, trouble breathing, etc) that is when you would need to move her to a hot room or steam bath. You can just put the whole cage in there, but be careful that it doesn't get too hot or steamy (it should be like a sauna, not so steamy that you can't breathe) and then be very careful not to move them out of the heat too quickly. You need them to acclimate slowly back to normal. Keep them away from drafts, too.

Thanks. I actually just went and looked in the box a little more thoroughly and she actually had laid a second egg. When I had been looking in there was one in he best viable nd I had assumed that the one egg was the one I had moved for her, she had hid it under the best material, so when I looked in and saw one, I assumed it was the one she hid. It wasn't! She never moved that one,and the one I was seeing was actually a totally different egg! Lol. So I think she's probably fine and I was worried for nothing! What a relief though! Thanks for your help. I do appreciate it.
 

StandUpand

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Thanks. I actually just went and looked in the box a little more thoroughly and she actually had laid a second egg. When I had been looking in there was one in he best viable nd I had assumed that the one egg was the one I had moved for her, she had hid it under the best material, so when I looked in and saw one, I assumed it was the one she hid. It wasn't! She never moved that one,and the one I was seeing was actually a totally different egg! Lol. So I think she's probably fine and I was worried for nothing! What a relief though! Thanks for your help. I do appreciate it.
I do have an other question though, I thought all the calcium in eggs were in the shell? Is that what I should be feeding her? Is there calcium in the egg itself? I know I feed the shells back to my chickens for calcium... Anyways, I grow kale so that's great I'll start giving them that too!
 

Matto

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Where are you located? I would try to contact some larger breeders around you and sell them as a package. If you post pictures we can help you identify them.
 

Matto

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If they have leg bands, the leg bands may indicate what year they hatched.
 

Matto

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I do have an other question though, I thought all the calcium in eggs were in the shell? Is that what I should be feeding her? Is there calcium in the egg itself? I know I feed the shells back to my chickens for calcium... Anyways, I grow kale so that's great I'll start giving them that too!
There is calcium in the shell but it is difficult for parrots to digest. There is also much calcium in the egg itself and it is easier to digest.
 

Sparkles99

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I’m sorry I can’t help you further. I’m not a breeder. I have a small flock of 6 male budgies.

However, a lot of people here can identify species. Please post pics!

Also, depending on the cockatiel mutation, if you get pics of the underside of their tails too, some of the cockatiel people can identify male/ female for you.

Matto is really well connected to bird breeders throughout the US. He has even helped clue would be scam victims in before paying! If you post your general area, he & the other breeders could help you start making connections.

This is a lot. I’d be overwhelmed to suddenly have all those birds. Take care of yourself too. :)
 

Shezbug

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I’m very sorry for the loss of your sister :sorrow:
If you post pictures of the birds then some of our members will help you identify them :)
 

StandUpand

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I’m sorry I can’t help you further. I’m not a breeder. I have a small flock of 6 male budgies.

However, a lot of people here can identify species. Please post pics!

Also, depending on the cockatiel mutation, if you get pics of the underside of their tails too, some of the cockatiel people can identify male/ female for you.

Matto is really well connected to bird breeders throughout the US. He has even helped clue would be scam victims in before paying! If you post your general area, he & the other breeders could help you start making connections.

This is a lot. I’d be overwhelmed to suddenly have all those birds. Take care of yourself too. :)
Yes, it definitely has been overwhelming. I am a single mother to a six yr old with Autism, and my sister's daughter (16) has just had cancer return after my sister passing. It's a lot to say the very least.
 

Matto

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They do have legs bands, almost all of them. And I'm in middle tennessee.
If you can manage to read the bands, you may be able to tell how old they are. If you combine that with photos we can help you appropriately price them.
 

camelotshadow

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:sadhug2:That's alot to be going through.

You might be better off boiling the eggs, cooling & gving them back or buying dummy eggs.
You certainly don't need all the things that can go along with breeding birds.

My only concern is you need to watch for possible egg binding. That can be very dangerous life threatening.
Its good that the bird seems to have passed the egg but she still needs monitoring if she has trouble laying any more as sometimes they will lay more than 2.

That is an overwhelming number of birds esp for a beginner Perhaps if the bird care is too much than it would be best to try to find home for them or some of them.

Hope you can find some peace & things get better in this time of sorrow & hardship...

:grouphug:
 

StandUpand

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image0.jpeg image0.jpeg this is "Marley". She doesn't have a band. I was told she's a girl, but I don't know for sure bc I can't find their papers. This picture does not do her colors justice. I'm fairly certain that she's a blue crown. The blue didn't show well in either of the photos though
 

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