First Egg is Here

[DebbieB]

Hi all
Well I was away for the weekend, and checked the nest box on Saturday am before leaving...no egg. Came home Sunday pm and there was an egg there:) .

Not sure if she laid it Saturday pm or Sunday am...it is now Monday - just after lunch and still no second egg, so maybe she didn't lay that egg till Sunday morning:rolleyes: .

She is going in & out of the nest box on a regular basis, so hopefully she will start sitting on the egg once she's laid another:p .

Is there any way of telling how many she will lay? Or how do I tell if she's finished laying?:rolleyes:

The other question I have is: how do I see the pics that others have posted? All I get is little boxes with a red x in them:S . Not sure if I have to alter one of my settings or not?

Will keep you all posted on any more eggs being laid.

Debbie B:budgie:

[JuliesGonnaDance]

Not sure about your questions, but congrats on the egg! :D

Keep us updated on how she does. :)

[SushiGURL]

exiting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ruta<3]

Congrates on the egg future grandparent!

[BUUZBEE]

Hi Debbie
congrats on the egg! Is this her first time breeding? If it is, she may not sit on them until around the 3rd egg. If this is her first clutch, i would say she will lay about 4-5 eggs.
as for you not seeing the pics??? hmmm. are you seeing peoples siggys & avatars? if not, it must be a setting on your computer (total guess with that! lol)
here is a link to my photo bucket account, look at the 2006 & 2007 baby pics (2005 was before digital, so not many pics)
http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a201/BUUZBEE/
keep the questions coming as you need :)

[DebbieB]

Hi Bea
Thanks for the reply. Yes, it is her first clutch and as I there was no 2nd egg yesterday, I'm guessing that the first one was laid on Sunday sometime, so am expecting another one today, sometime. There was no egg there this morning (Tuesday am). How long do they generally take to lay an egg? She has been in the nesting box for a while now, this morning, so maybe she's laying the second egg? Time will tell.

As for the photo's, yes, I do see everyones avatars, but not their siggys or the pics that they post in their replies. Not sure what settings I may need to change?

Debbie B

[BUUZBEE]

Psssst.... I'm not Bea :D

[DebbieB]

Oh Sorry Buuzbee for the mixup LOL

Debbie B

[BUUZBEE]

with her first clutch, she might take a little longer.

if you go into your "user cp", there are things in there that you can not view the siggys' so maybe theres one for images too. I'll have a better look at it when i go home

I too will be looking to see if another egg is here!

Oh Sorry Buuzbee for the mixup LOL

Debbie B

hehehe no prob :)

[Vanny]

wow! keep us posted! i'm bookmarking this page, and checking back every day!!!

oh, by the way, what are your budgie parent's names?

[DebbieB]

The boy is Crackers & the girl is Tweetie...my son named them LOL

Debbie

[DebbieB]

Well today is 3 days after the first egg appeared and there is still only 1 egg.
Tweetie is in the nesting box most of the time now and not distressed in the least. She comes out every so often, just for a few mins.

Should I be worried that there is so far, no 2nd egg? or could it be as Buuzbee said, with her first clutch, could take a little longer?

Meant to also add, they are both eating the vegs that I have put in there and they have had a cuttlebone since I have had them and eat that too.

Debbie B

[BUUZBEE]

I'm thinking if its now 3 days after, you might just get the one.

[DebbieB]

Ok Buuzbee, is that common? Just getting one egg?

Debbie

[DebbieB]

Well she just laid the 2nd egg :D - even though it's been 3 days since the first one came:) ....should this make a great difference? :S I'm hoping she has another one - maybe Friday (2 days from now).;)

Debbie B:budgie:

[Bea]

I've not had a 3 day gap between eggs...i've had a one day gap. It could be that the first one is infertile and she's now going to start laying properly, or maybe both are good and she's just spacing them weird as a first time mother. The only difference it will make is the size difference between the first and second baby, but budgies are good parents and i don't think it'll cause a problem.

[DebbieB]

Thanks Bea for that info. Let's hope they are both fertile. Is there any way of telling if they are not fertile? or just a wait & see situation?

Debbie B:budgie:

[pal0m1n0]

I have one be three days near as I could tell and then the next was the following day. But if it happened overnight, it could be deceptive.

[DebbieB]

No, didn't happen overnight. The first one was there on Sunday at around 3.30pm, when we checked, then the next one was there (just laid, by the looks of it) at around 3.30pm on Wednesday.

She had been in & out of the nesting box all day/night Tuesday & Wednesday, so maybe she had been trying to lay it and taking her time. Who Knows?

Debbie :budgie:

[BUUZBEE]

I think bea could be right, but time will tell!

I've never had a hen do this, but have read of others, and its usually a first time mum. keep us posted!

& congrats on egg 2!

[DebbieB]

Thanks Buuzbee.
Was speaking to a friend of mine, who has bred budgies for years now. He said this *could* be actually egg no. 3 (having possibly laid the 1st one on Saturday) and egg #2 was reabsorbed (in a round about way).

Both of us also breed dogs and know that bitches can reabsorb puppies prior to whelping them

Debbie B

[BUUZBEE]

interesting, i've never heard of it, so i'll have to read up on it!

[Vanny]

congrats on egg #2!

[DebbieB]

Hi all
Just an update....there is now 3 eggs :) The Third one arriving like clockwork, just 2 days after the 2nd one :D . So maybe like Buuzbee (or maybe it was Bea), the
1st egg may be infertile? :S Who knows....Let's hope there is a 4th egg on Sunday :p

Debbie B :budgie:

[Vanny]

Yay! 3 little eggies!!

[BUUZBEE]

When was the first egg hatched again? can you candle yet?

(too many egg posts, i'm loosing track of them lol)

[DebbieB]

Hi Buuz.
The first egg was last Sat or Sun (I was away for the weekend, so not too sure, but it was there when we got home on Sunday afternoon). The 2nd egg was laid on Wednesday and the 3 egg was on Friday.:) I'm hoping there is another one tomorrow (Sunday). How can you tell if she is still going to lay eggs or has finished? Or is it just a matter of no more eggs being laid???

Haven't candled yet - actually, do not have a penlight torch to use :(

Is there an alternative to a penlight torch?

Debbie :budgie:

[BUUZBEE]

Candling is all new to me, all the breeding i've done, i've never candled! lol
I never know when they are done, since they are always on the eggs. for me its when they are done, they are done! lol

again, congrats!

[Bea]

Haven't candled yet - actually, do not have a penlight torch to use :(

Is there an alternative to a penlight torch?

Debbie :budgie:

I don't usually candle cause i see things that should mean the eggs are dodgy and then they hatch anyway, lol, so i don't bother most of the time. Has your mobile phone got a flashlight feature? Mine does and the light that comes from it is small enough and bright enough that i can candle eggs with that. You can also try just shining a regular torch near them as depending on the angle you might see something. I know one afternoon when i checked the eggs the way the sun shone in and hit the eggs allowed me to see veins in one. :)

[DebbieB]

Hi all
Just an update....there are now FIVE eggs :) .
As I said earlier, there were 3 days (instead of 2) between eggs 1 & 2 and again, between 3 & 4 there were 3 days, but 2 days between all the others.;)

A friend of mine who also breeds budgies, but hasn't for a year or so now, told me that it *may not* necessarily mean that those odd ones hatch 3 days apart, it just depends.

He normally gets an average of 8-9 eggs in a clutch, so I'm hoping that Tweetie lays that many - and more to the point, that they all survive ;)

Debbie B :budgie:

[Vanny]

any updates?

[Glitter]

awww congrats on the egg you must be so excited

[Bea]

Hi all
He normally gets an average of 8-9 eggs in a clutch, so I'm hoping that Tweetie lays that many - and more to the point, that they all survive ;)

Debbie B :budgie:

Most budgies lay 4-6 eggs. :P 8-9 is a very high number of eggs and if they all hatched the mum would have a hard time feeding them all, you'd have to handrear some of them...so be careful what you wish for. ;)

[DebbieB]

Hi Bea
Thanks for that info. Well, I think she's finished laying:) . She now has 6 eggs and the last one was laid last Friday:D (it's now Monday evening) so don't think she'll lay any more;) .

The first one is due to start hatching on or around Thursday of this week.

Debbie :budgie:

[Bea]

How exciting!! :D You thought of any names for the babies?

[Vanny]

wow! congrats!! can't wait till they hatch out! :D

[Vanny]

Anything new today?

[DebbieB]

Still nothing as yet - first egg is due to hatch tomorrow. I did candle the eggs the other night and could see tiny veins in all of the eggs except for the last one that was laid - probably only about 2 days prior to candling:D .

All had an air cell - some larger than others:) . Can anyone tell me if there is still an air cell, even if the egg is infertile:S ?

Debbie B:budgie:

[Bea]

My eggs had the air pocket and were all fertile, i was worried they meant the eggs were duds but was pleasantly suprised to see all eggs hatch.

[DebbieB]

That's good to know, Bea...gives me hope at least LOL :)

Debbie B :budgie:

PS: Off Topic question - where do you get the little flags to go beneath your name?

[Amy]

PS: Off Topic question - where do you get the little flags to go beneath your name?

You've got it now. :)

Anyway good luck with the eggs! You must be so excited!

[DebbieB]

Thanks Amy, yes I am....Just hope all the babies survive

Debbie B:budgie:

[BUUZBEE]

very eggciting, the waiting :) so fun!

[DebbieB]

It sure is, Buuzbee.:)

Well today is Thursday morning (early) here and so far, nothing, but...I do have a question. Not all the time, but alot of the time (just lately), when I peep into the box, I have noticed one of the eggs rather than in the concave of the box, is over in one of the corners. Just wondering if this is maybe the first egg due to hatch, so the hen has put that one in the corner, or perhaps is infertile and she has pushed it from the rest??? :S Any ideas?

Debbie B:budgie:

[BUUZBEE]

how long has it been like that?

[DebbieB]

Have only noticed it the last week or so. I have put it back with the others, then a couple of days later, notice it back in the corner.

Debbie B

[BUUZBEE]

it sounds like she knows its a dud

[DebbieB]

I was thinking the same thing, but just wondered.
Thanks for that - will just wait & see.

Debbie

[BUUZBEE]

I've had this happen before, it just seems to get rolled around the box, i just leave it until all the others are hatched then i huck it

[Bea]

Well today is Thursday morning (early) here and so far

Debbie B:budgie:

Don't forget it might hatch late. With my budgies the first egg was due on a sunday and all day there was nothing. I started to lose hope but then it hatched Monday morning. It's not unusual for an egg to hatch a day or two late. :)

[DebbieB]

Thanks for that info Bea. Also for the info about the egg maybe getting "rolled".

Just had another look, and it was no longer in the corner, but still on the outside of the concaved part of the box. I did put it back with the others and it was still warm, so she must be at least sitting on it. :)

I did notice too, when I pick up the eggs, not that I shake them at all, but I feel a tiny "rattle" from inside - does this indicate a chick or what? :S

Debbie :budgie:

[BUUZBEE]

if you feel a rattle, the egg is dead. the insides have dried up
bea, am i right on this?

[DebbieB]

Thanks for that info Buuzbee. I just went and candled the whole 6 eggs again.
I'm only sorry now that I didn't number the eggs as they were laid :( .

2 of them I felt a 'rattle' as I picked them up and 1 I couldn't see an air cell. :( .

With the ones that I could see the air cell, some air cells were bigger than others, obviously as they were laid at different stages. Can you tell me, does the air cell get larger or smaller as the chick gets closer to hatching? :S

Sorry for all the questions LOL

Debbie B :budgie:

[BUUZBEE]

sorry debbie, i cant help on the air sack size. I've only candled for the first time with this clutch, never tried all the years before. I dont think Bea candles, so lets see if another breeder knows more on it.

[jamesam16]

How many eggs do budgies lay anyway?

[DebbieB]

James,
In this case, she laid 6 eggs

Debbie :budgie:

[DebbieB]

Still no eggs have hatched as yet.:( Yesterday was day 18 from the 1st egg, however, a friend of mine, who has bred budgies for years, tells me that you should only start counting from the time the hen starts "sitting" on the egg, which sometimes isn't until the 2nd egg has been laid. This was the case with this girl. She didn't start "sitting" until the 2nd egg was here, although was in & out of the nesting box in between egg 1 & 2.:S

Debbie B :budgie:

[Vanny]

anything new?:S

[DebbieB]

Hi All
Well the first egg was due to hatch last Thursday. Then the 2nd egg was due to hatch Last Sunday then the next one was due to hatch on Tuesday of this week. By Wednesday, nothing - so was about to give up on them all and lo & behold, this morning when we woke up, there is a baby chick in the box:) . Mumma is still sitting on the eggs (plus baby) and now I'm just hoping the rest will hatch:D .

When I candled the eggs, 4 out of the 6 had an air cell that could be visible. 2 seemed to have a 'rattle' inside, which Buuzbee already said usually means that the inside has dried up, so I'm not counting on those 2 hatching:( .

I'm just wondering if maybe I was "out" by a week - given that the first hatching was due last Thursday (according to my calculations) yet happened today (Thursday):S

Any ideas from anyone?

Debbie B :budgie:

[BUUZBEE]

the incubation time will be longer depending on how quickly she actually incubated. saying they will hatch from 17-21 days really depends on when mom really sits tight on them. i've had hen not sit until the 4th egg is laid! so the incubation time goes WAY longer!

and by the way... WAY congrats on bub #1, do we have a name yet?

[DebbieB]

Thanks for that Buuzbee. She didn't really start to sit on the eggs till after the 2nd egg was laid, but "full time" I think after the 3rd egg. So is that to say, that eggs 1 & 2 *may* be ok?

Debbie

[DebbieB]

Haven't thought of a name yet

Debbie

[BUUZBEE]

as long as they are not the rattle ones, all should be good :)

[DebbieB]

Well not sure - I know the 2nd one didn't have a rattle. That's the only one that I can distinguish as it has a tiny brown speck (dried blood) on it. That one is still intact and that didn't rattle.

The others, don't know, as I didn't number them :(

Debbie

[BUUZBEE]

lol, i never number mine either!

[Meghanxx4]

aww thats wonderful that your first egg has been layed!

[DebbieB]

Just an update on the eggs....

Yesterday, we noticed a tiny hole in one of the eggs, so thought it was almost ready to hatch. Then today, it was open. Nothing inside - just a hard crusty looking thing :( - like the yolk had dried up :S , so I figure that mum had cracked it open :S .

Another one has a tiny thin crack, so hopefully, that one will hatch soon.:p

Meanwhile, the first bub is growing well :D . His (her?) crop always looks full, so seems mum & dad are feeding well :) . As yet, he's still un-named. Any suggestions on a name? I was actually thinking of Tilly - not sure if that is a boy/girl name. I'm hoping for at least 1 boy from the clutch, so if Tilly is only a girl name, might be bad luck LOL ;)

Debbie :budgie:

[DebbieB]

Hi all
Just another update - another egg just hatched today :D so I am very happy.

Baby #1 is getting really big - with a big tummy and full crop :) . I just noticed today, that his/her eyes are just starting to open. He's now 4 days old, is that about average for the eyes to start opening?

Baby #2 is sooooo tiny compared to #1. I cannot even remember (just 4 days ago) that #1 was that tiny LOL.

Keeping fingers & toes crossed that #3 hatches on Wednesday.:p

Debbie B :budgie:

[DebbieB]

Hi all
Haven't been on the forum for quite a few days, so thought I'd give an update.

There were only 2 babies from the 6 eggs laid. The last one never hatched and Tweetie kept pushing it to the corner of the box, so after a week, I removed it. I did open the egg, to find a dead chick inside - so it was fertile at one stage. :(

Baby 1 is growing so fast & now has feathers :) and baby 2 is also growing, but it seems not as fast as baby 1 :rolleyes: but his/her eyes are now open & his/her crop is always full :) He she is also starting to grow feathers :) so is growing as well.

I remember reading on the forum - but cannot remember in what thread :S about cleaning the poop off the baby's feet with a cotton tip. Can anyone pls help me here? What do I use? Is it just plain water or what? Baby 1 has bits of poop on his/her feet which I want to clean off.

Debbie B :budgie:

[jamesam16]

Hi Debbie, I'm so sorry for the egg that had something dried in it.
I'm sorry but I'm not sure what you use to clean it:(

[KeetCrazy]

just plain water