My first egg!

[deepwave744]

My bird Cirro just laid her first egg. Luckily, I noticed that they were showing behavior that suggested that this might happen and got a nest box a few months ago. Its too early to say right now, but I think she's going to start brooding right away, considering for the past like... week? she's been in and out of the nest box, and since I found the egg she's only come to the entrance to the box so that Sky could feed her. I'm so excited! Please post everything that you think I should know at this point if you can.
:)

[TipseyTara]

This was my first time too. LiLy laid five eggs. One got damaged, another died trying to get out off the egg. But the other three are doing great! The oldest is 10 day old today.

Just don't get your hopes up too high. First time they might not be fertile. I got lucky!

Good luck,
Tara:budgie:

P.S. you should read the other Journals they have lots of info!

[deepwave744]

I have three eggs (she should be laying another one today too) and I'm going to be checking with a flashlight tonight to see if they are fertile, but I think they are seeing as my birds have been mating. They aren't very discreet. I'll post again after I check.

[BUUZBEE]

Please post everything that you think I should know at this point if you can.
:)

Congrats on the eggs. Take your time to read all the breeding forums, you'll find out all you need there.

Make sure you have all the emergency feeding items incase the parents don't feed.

Good luck :)

[JackandClyde]

Congratulations :D Hope everything turns out ok with them :D

[Rebeccaveggie]

Good luck! I pray they are all fertile and become healthy little baby budgies some time down the line!

[bugster23]

wow thats amazing... i hope i get that far into finding a little egg or 2 in the futur... congratz my friend... hope all goes well with you and you find beautifull little babies one sweet morning ;)

[SusanBudgies]

Congratulations for your first foray into budgie breeding! I remember how excited (and nervous) I was last October when both my hens laid their first clutches. (Only one hen's clutch had fertile eggs.)

Just a few thoughts:
1. Yes, read all you can online regarding breeding!
2. Make sure your hen has access to a cuttlebone (to provide calcium for egg formation) and an iodine salt spool (some think it provides the nutrients that prevent the hen from feather- or down-plucking her chicks; my hen was a down-plucker). Oyster shell grit would be nice, too, for a supply of calcium.
3. She probably will lay an egg every 2 days until she reaches 4-6 eggs. If more than 2 days pass and she's acting lethargic, she might be eggbound. Be prepared to rush her to an avian vet. (FYI, when one of my hens didn't lay her second egg within 5 days after her first, I got very nervous. But since she was acting fine, I didn't take her to a vet. She laid the second egg on Day 5; then laid 3 more every 2 days after that, for a total of 5 eggs.)
4. Try to resist handling the eggs, but if you do, wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling. You can buy a flashlight with a gooseneck to candle the eggs inside the nestbox, without touching them. (I bought a SerpentLight on eBay.) When I candled my hen's eggs 4 days after she laid them, I could not only see veins, but also a tiny heart beating!

Please keep us posted! :D

[yadub_32]

If the eggs aren't fertile, should it be removed from the nest box so as not to tire the hen on sitting on it?????

[yadub_32]

Also, If I remove the eggs, should I take out the nest box for sometime before allowing the hen to lay the next clutch???

[softie]

I'm not an expert in breeding budgies, but I did hear before that if the eggs are not fertile (proved by candling), then it would be best to remove them. I don't know that as a fact, so don't take my word for it. ;)

I'm hoping that they are fertile and that they hatch into healthy beautiful chicks :)

[Cassidy]

wow!!!!!!! I hope you get healthy lil ones!!!!!!!!!!! I am thinking about breeding mine and i am excited and 4 u 2!:budgie:

Cassidy

[enicol6]

Congratulations on your new egg :)

[budgerigar]

If you are sure the eggs are definitly infertile, you can remove them. The hen will most likley lay eggs again within the next few days.
I once removed eggs and found out one was fertile, it is not a pleasant thing. Make sure they are definitly infertile before removing them.

[deepwave744]

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, I couldn't remember my password :p . Cirro ended up laying five eggs, and we're hoping at least two of them might hatch. We tried candeling the other day and we can only see the airsack and the rest of it was completely opaque, so I'm anxiously waiting for hatching. Keeping my fingers crossed! Cirro is in the nestbox all the time, and its hard to get a look in there. I was wondering, I want to hand-raise them, so do I take them out to put them in the brooder as soon as they hatch, or wait until they've all hatched to remove them? I just want to make sure that I do this right, I don't want to take any chances. A hasty reply would be GREATLY appreciated, since they could start hatching as early as today. :D

Thank you very much for all your help!

[rachelle83]

I believe you normally wait til they are two weeks old before you pull them. Not certain, but I'm pretty sure it's not as soon as they hatch. Good Luck, hope you get some bubs :)

[deepwave744]

I believe you normally wait til they are two weeks old before you pull them. Not certain, but I'm pretty sure it's not as soon as they hatch. Good Luck, hope you get some bubs :)

Ooh dear.... I'm just trying to figure out how to do this..... Cirro doesn't want to let me near the nest, but I'll have to check the baby(s)' crops to make sure they're being fed, so how do I get to the babies to do that? I'm really worried about whether or not she'll feed them, because I originally intended her as a pet and started taming her. I've heard that in some cases the parents don't feed their babies, and some think that this is connected with losing instincts due to taming (not sure if this is true or not, just what I've heard). I don't want to take chances however. Should I leave them in the nest (I'm also worried about whether Cirro will hurt them or not, she might freak out and not know what they are) or is it ok to take them out and put them in the brooder when they hatch? If she DOESN'T feed them and I end up having to do that, can I put them in the tank (a.k.a. brooder)? I know I have to put them in the tank if she doesn't sit on them (which I'm also worried might happen since her mate is very needy and she has to run out to see him, so he doesn't get TOO lonely, and I'm worried that she'll stop sitting). Help would be GREATLY appreciated. I will be taking notes :budge:

[enicol6]

One of the breeders will certainly being along with better answers. If she doesn't sit there will be no babies. To my knowledge, you cannot hatch the eggs for her. However, she may know something you don't. If they are infertile they generally give up on them in time. If you are seeing an air sac only they are likely infertile although it never hurts to wait and see.

Although animals can certainly make the wrong "choices" when it comes to their young, they are driven from instinct with a tad of learning. Some have better instincts then others. Taming should not be an issue. You don't have to worry about her not knowing what the babies are. I really did not answer your questions so I will stop boring you and one of the breeders will be along.

[deepwave744]

One of the breeders will certainly being along with better answers. If she doesn't sit there will be no babies. To my knowledge, you cannot hatch the eggs for her. However, she may know something you don't. If they are infertile they generally give up on them in time. If you are seeing an air sac only they are likely infertile although it never hurts to wait and see.

Although animals can certainly make the wrong "choices" when it comes to their young, they are driven from instinct with a tad of learning. Some have better instincts then others. Taming should not be an issue. You don't have to worry about her not knowing what the babies are. I really did not answer your questions so I will stop boring you and one of the breeders will be along.

You can hatch the eggs, with an incubator, but I was not referring to that. I was talking about the babies once they hatch.I saw the airsac and the rest of the egg was opaque, which suggests fertility.

[enicol6]

You can hatch the eggs, with an incubator, but I was not referring to that. I was talking about the babies once they hatch.I saw the airsac and the rest of the egg was opaque, which suggests fertility.

Oh okay :) I definately would not pitch the eggs as you never know. My eggs had veining and you could see the babies as they grew. When they got big the egg still kept the air sac and the rest was dark. My infertiles showed an airsac and the the rest was opaque but has a yellow hue.

If you chose to use and incubator I guess you could hatch them. I have only seen that with chickens. I have never heard of the breeders on here doing it. They usually pull them around 2 weeks. But, just because I have never heard of them doing it does not mean they don't. Hopefully one of them will catch the post :)

[deepwave744]

Oh okay :) I definately would not pitch the eggs as you never know. My eggs had veining and you could see the babies as they grew. When they got big the egg still kept the air sac and the rest was dark. My infertiles showed an airsac and the the rest was opaque but has a yellow hue.

If you chose to use and incubator I guess you could hatch them. I have only seen that with chickens. I have never heard of the breeders on here doing it. They usually pull them around 2 weeks. But, just because I have never heard of them doing it does not mean they don't. Hopefully one of them will catch the post :)

I don't need to use an incubator. I'm going to use what's called a 'brooder'. Its a heated cage, kinda like a hospital cage/tank. I'm talking about once they hatch if I can move them there right away. The ones that I think are fertile are dark except for the air sac too. Its getting around time for hatching to start taking place, so hopefully I'll get an answer from one of the breeders on here soon. Otherwise I'm going to call a local breeder. I don't know how competent they are on the grand scale of things, but they've had more experience than I have.

[enicol6]

Oh I hope you get some hatchies soon. It is funny how a tiny pink blob can steal your heart :)

[BUUZBEE]

You can pull the babies at about 10-14 days. Do you have prior handfeeding experience?

[SusanBudgies]

Infertile, as well as fertile, eggs have airsacs. By "opaque," do you mean the non-airsac portion is see-through? If so, the eggs are probably infertile.

At 4 days after start of incubation, a fertile egg will begin showing veins and a tiny pink blob (and even a beating heart). As the embryo develops, the blob will get bigger and bigger until it fills the egg, except for a 1/4-1/3 sized air sac at the round end.

If you can provide lay dates and detailed descriptions for each candled egg, perhaps we can speculate whether each egg is infertile, fertile, addled or dead-in-shell.

[enicol6]

One thing about the handfeeding (which you may already know) is it is 24 hours a day so you would either have to stay home or take them with you in their brooder wherever you go. The babies are so tiny when they are born it would be difficult to handfeed them at that point. Buuzbee has responded to your thread and she is a wealth of information on the subject. So ask your questions and she will be able to answer any of them.

[BUUZBEE]

One thing about the handfeeding (which you may already know) is it is 24 hours a day so you would either have to stay home or take them with you in their brooder wherever you go. The babies are so tiny when they are born it would be difficult to handfeed them at that point. Buuzbee has responded to your thread and she is a wealth of information on the subject. So ask your questions and she will be able to answer any of them.


Exaclty... they are tiny... 10-14 days is a good age to start handfeeding (not that they really need it to become bonded to people, lots of handling will do that) I don't have the patience to handfeed a newly hatched bub via a toothpic LOL Plus I don't enjoy 24 hour feedings... I like the older schedule! I'm off to TX this weekend, but i'll be popping off & on on the cell. (ps, thank enicol6)

[deepwave744]

No, I do not (as of yet) have any experience with hand-feeding. I've done tons of research though and I am more than willing to feed them every two hours.

[enicol6]

Any babies yet? I can't remember your possible hatch dates.

[deepwave744]

Any babies yet? I can't remember your possible hatch dates.

As far as I know, they haven't hatched as of yet. Cirro started brooding almost all of the time on the 13th, but she started full-time brooding the night of the 16th.... so, if the almost-full-time brooding was enough, then they'll be hatching pretty soon, but if its 16-21 days (which is a large range for this I know, but from what I gleamed with my research, this is the range.... even if it isn't the most often one), then this upcoming week or the one after there should be some hatchings. Praying that the babies will be healthy and happy little blobbies. :p

[deepwave744]

If Cirro doesn't feed them after they hatch, does anyone know the proper procedure for feeding them when they're that tiny? :S
(Hope for the best, prepare for the worst..... I think that's pretty good advice! :) )

[BUUZBEE]

what handfeeding supplies do you have?

[enicol6]

I am curious if any of the eggs hatched? Hope all is well with your birds :)

[BUUZBEE]

So whats going on with these eggs? did any hatch????