First egg candling help

[avik]

 







My breeding pair started laying eggs on 14th March this year, and Simran (the hen) laid a total of 5 eggs. And for a first time parent, both her and Raj (the cock) is doing a fantastic job. She started incubating the egg from 14th March, not wasting even a moment. they both are incubating it now. No fight or anything - just supporting each other.

However, since she stated incubating from 14th, I expected the first one to hatch on 2nd April, 2017. As this is my first experience, I couldnt gather enough courage to get those eggs out of the cage and mark them, so I dint really know in which order they are laid. However, since there was no chick on 2nd, I got a little impatient and traied to candle the eggs using my phone's flash. I have attached the picture of four eggs candled that way. I can see there is some mass inside 3 out of 4 eggs, but I am not sure if the air sack should be this big. So if someone with experience of egg candling can help me out with that they think, it will be really appriciated.





On a side note, their diet is as below:

1. 7AM - Hard boiled egg, 2 veggies : processed in food processor

2. 9.30 AM - Moong, gram, millet, horsegram etc : sprouted

3. 7PM - Seed and pellet mix which I take out of cage when I go to sleep, around 11 PM

4. Cuttlebone, mineral block and clean water present at all times.



Is this diet good for them or there is something I should change?



Looking for guidance and thanks for your support

[Hezz]

May I ask why you remove the seed and pellets? And at such a late time of the night? They should have access to their main food - the seed and pellets - all the time, not just for a few hours, with those hours being when they should be asleep. By going in at 11pm to remove these, you are disturbing their sleep. If they are not already asleep, they should be.

[avik]

Hi Hezz..
Two of my birds are picky eaters..I read somewhere that keeping the food away in the night and serving them veggies early in the morning, they generally eat the veggies. However, I would keep it there from now on. Do you think I should take out the seeds when I give them the other foods?
Thanks.

[avik]

[avik]

Apr 5, 2017 19:02:47 GMT avik said:

This evening...one of the eggs hatched..it's a tiny little pinkie. And I am so happy to see this little bundle of joy. ☺
However, as every new parent, I am happy and tensed on equal part. Is the crop full enough?
Any help or comment at this point will be really appreciated.

Thanks.

[jellybean]

I know nothing about breeding budgies so excuse my ignorance.
But.....is that a nest box?
How does the hen sit on the eggs when they are scattered like that, should the nest not be concave to allow the hen to sit on the eggs.
And should the nest not have some sort of wood chips in, or similar?

[skysmum]

The crop looks to be full enough, the hen is feeding crop milk for the first few days. jellybean is right, the floor of the nest box should have a concave where the eggs should be gathered together, the hen can't incubate eggs properly when they are all over the place. Some wood shavings should also be placed in the box, for comfort and to help prevent the baby's from developing splayed legs, there is nothing for them to get a grip on.

[Hezz]

Congrats on your little pinkie, but skysmum and jellybean have raised very good points. The eggs should be in a concave so that for one the hen can keep all eggs together and incubate them and some sort of wood shavings help keep the warmth in, but more importantly help the new chicks keep their feet under them so that they don't end up with splayed legs. Even if the hen has kicked the shavings out in the early stages, you should continue to add them, particularly now that you have a chick to look after.

[avik]

Thank you all for you help and comments. And trust me, being a member of this group for so long and reading a lot here, I know the concave is really important. And that's why I tried 6 - 7 shops, but unfortunately, none of them had a nest box with a concave. But maybe next time I will buy a box and create the concave myself. On a positive note, I have seen the mother pulling all of her eggs below her and start incubating. She is helping me more than I expected really. But next time, I need to do more.
And about the bedding, I added some when I set up the box. But she kicked all out. I read in the forum that, if I add some more bedding when one or two chick has hatched, she will be too busy to feed them and won't notice the bedding. Am I correct? If so, should I put some more bedding today? Also, in my area, wood shaving is not available. Can I use shreaded dry covers of the corn web? Or shreaded tissue paper? If I can't use any of the mentioned ones, can you suggest some?

Thanks again for your valuable help.☺

[Hezz]

As a less than ideal material, rolled oats can be used, but need to be cleaned out every day, as they retain the moisture from the birds' poop. Shredded paper of any kind, I would imagine, will do the job as well, but with the same restrictions. Add anything is better than nothing, at this stage. Whereabouts are you??

[starlingqueen]

If you add shredded paper make sure they are short lengths so the don't tangle around the chicks necks and legs.

[avik]

Thank you all for the valuable insights.
I live in Bangalore, India.
I think I will go with shreaded tissue papers. I know I will have to clean it everyday and it will be a little inconvenient..buts that's something I am willing to do for my new family member.☺
Plus the thought that I can come here for help any moment I need, gives me a lot of courage.☺
So, once again, a big thanks to all of you.

[Hezz]

We will help you any way we can .... but remember, we don't know everything!! starlingqueen's advice on the paper is spot on; if you get normal office-shredded paper, you will need to pull it apart in short lengths, the shorter the better.

[avik]

I have a very very bad news this morning..and I need your help.
The cock died. I don't know why. It was just dead when I checked this morning.
There are two babies in the nest box, one 4 day old and another 2 day old. And there are three more eggs of which I am expecting two more to hatch.
Now I know while raising chicks, the cock feed the hen and the hen feed the babies. But here she is on her own. So I am considering a few scenarios:
I have put the seed in a small bowl inside the nest box so that she doesn't have to travel a lot for the seeds.
I am not very sure if I should introduce another cock at this stage.it might do more harm than good.
And should I let all the eggs to hatch? 4 chicks or even 3..will that be a lot of stress on the mother to feed them all on her own? Should i remove the other unhatched eggs?
Please help me here so that I can help her to stay healthy and raise healthy chicks.
Thanks a lot.

[Hezz]

Sorry about the cock bird dying.
Do not bring in another cock; he will kill the chicks you have already.
There was one egg that didn't seem fertile, anyway, so that would leave three max, if the other one hatches. I think you need to give them the chance to make it, having come so far. Was the cock a good provider? Not all are, and your hen might be used to doing for herself. Make sure your hen has eggfood, and fresh veg mix, such as carrot, corn, broccoli, as well as her seed, she will need a really good diet to feed herself and her chicks. If you can, get some hand-raising formula so you can help her out with a feed or two a day for the chicks. It is not easy, feeding chicks so young, but better to try than not, if you see your hen struggling. Hang a spray of millet in the nestbox as well, so that she can have a quick feed easily while still sitting. And good luck. Please keep us updated on how you and the birds are getting on.