Egg viable?

[bluekiwi]

Hey. I'm totally new to the site and have a couple of mating questions.We have an 18 month old female Kiwi and a 1 year old male Blueberry.A few days ago the hubby built a nestbox and put it in the cage since we thought she was acting very different.Two nights ago she laid an egg and I think she looks ready to lay another egg today.We have never actually seen any copulation going on so we're not sure if the egg is viable.I tried the egg candling thing but am very unsure of what to look for and don't want to make a mistake by tossing it.I've read that if it's no good I should toss it during the first 24 hours.Should I leave it a few days and then have another look with the flashlight? Or should I assume that since we have not seen the act of mating,the egg is no good? Also a few minutes ago I heard alot of squaking going on and saw him trying to climb on her back,she however would not have any of it.I think it was due to her having an egg right there ready to come out today.Does that make sense?After she lays that 2nd egg will she let him have his way? I really hope so!!Any help will be totally appreciated. Thanks, Erin

[Dinky]

Personally, I've never candled any eggs. I've left them for quite some time without problems. As long as they don't break it's not a problem leaving them. The climbing on the back routine is a mating thing. They should have a new egg every 2 to 3 days. Then it's about 18 days (I think) to hatching. They hatch in the order they were laid about every 2 to 3 days. Hope this helps.

[Budgiekin]

Hmmmmm....if you candle the eggs, you are looking for any signs of blood vessels..they take a bit of time to appear so you'd be fine leaving the eggs for several days as long as they aren't broken. If the egg looks clear when you shine the flashlight through it, then it is not fertile.

Make sure you provide your female budgie with a source of calcium, especially when she is laying eggs...a cuttle bone is good, and so is crushed up egg shell. Making sure she maintains an adequate level of calcium in her body is important as this can prevent egg binding (an egg getting stuck as your budgie tries to pass it). Egg binding is often fatal.

Anywho, good luck with your budgies! Please keep us up to date!:p

[abel]

When my bird, Nana, was nesting, I found a box of calcium mix, that had calcium from different sources, for nesting birds. It was easy and inexpensive. I just ground it up more fine, and sprinkled it on her food. That, plus her usual cuttlebone and mineral block. I was extra careful, because we had a pigeon who had gotten eggbound before, and we hard time with that. Oh, and it was, I think, twenty, or twentyone days till the first egg hatched, though Dinky is right, most people figure eighteen to twenty. Good luck! Keep us posted!:)

[bluekiwi]

So now Kiwi has laid 4 eggs total.The oldest egg is12 days old and the newest is 6 days old.I did the check with a flashlight in a dark room today.Not quite sure what the start of bllod vessels looks like or what I should be seeing in there.I pretty much see an air pocket at one end and a yellow yolk in each one.Are these eggs no good? If so ,do I need to get rid of them now or wait.If I remove them do I get rid of the nest box for now?So many question!! HELP!!!:S

[Budgiekin]

As long as the eggs are not broken or cracked, you can keep them in the nest box if you like. Is your budgie interested in the eggs? Like does she go in the nest box to sit on them??

[bluekiwi]

She spends pretty much all of her time on the eggs.I'm sure if she has fertile eggs in the future she will make a very good mama.She really only comes out to eat and also Blueberry feeds her quite a bit.Will she lose interest in the eggs after a while?