Budgie laid an egg, please help?

[giancarlo]

Hello everyone. 
I have four budgies, two males and two females.

Carlos and Chip are the males. While Lazlo and Kiwi are the females. Carlos and Lazlo always mate and are bonded. Chip and Kiwi are now beginning to be bonded too..

They always eat celery, spinach, millet, water and their daily seed diet. They havent eaten much past that, but they love it and they are healthy.

On April 28, I found an egg cracked on the bottom of the cage floor. I knew it was Lazlo since her belly was bloated and she was pooping very large amounts.
They DO have a nest box, only Lazlo goes inside of it, but she usually goes inside to eat and chew the wood dust that is inside of there.
On April 30, they laid another egg on the cage floor which was cracked.
I moved Lazlo and Carlos to a smaller cage so they make continue the egg process
On May 2, they finally laid their first successful egg Lazlo laid it inside the nest box. I know the nest box is suppose to have a concave hole so that the eggs may not move around, but this nest box doesn't have one? I couldn't find one at petco or petsmart either? Can this be a problem?
She has currently been in the nest box ALL day even though she only has one egg? Is she like already incubating it? Isn't she suppose to have at least like 2 or 3 to incubate?
I was happy yesterday that she was in the nest box taking care of the egg, but then when I put the blanket over their cage (as I always do) she got out of the nest box and went to sleep on a perch?
Im not sure what shes doing in the nest box but if shes in there all day then could she be incubating it? She wasnt in the nest box this morning until 10am she got inside and shes been there ever since.

Im new to this so please just help me with this haha. If she is incubating the egg then is it a problem that she leaves it there over night?
Thanks!

[giancarlo]

Any help? Advice? shes still in there, i just opened the box and I saw shes actually already laying on it..? only one egg being incubated?

[Susannah]

Hi giancarlo and welcome ...been a very long time since I had baby buds, all I know is, you need to have the concave area for the eggs ?...more experienced folk will be able to help you with your queries...All My Best with the buds

[giancarlo]

Yes I think so, but I just dont understand is the concave part needed for when they hatch or for the eggs to be in? Also is the hen suppose to SLEEP in the nest box? cause mine didnt last night (it was her first night with the egg though)

[Susannah]

It needs to be concave before the eggs are laid...helps prevent them from rolling around...other folk should be able to help you more, shortly

[Budgies Retreat]

A concave is preferred as it helps keep the eggs closer together so when the hen incubates they are easier for her to cover. It also helps when the chicks begin moving around that they cannot climb out and move away from the hen. You can make a concave using a flat piece of wood about an inch to two inches thick that fits inside your nest box, and just use a chisel to make a round depression in the wood around 5 inches across, obviously deeper in the middle. You could just try lots of wood shavings and see if she makes a depression in that if you have no tools.

A hen sometimes incubates from the first egg, sometimes only after the second or even third egg is laid, this is nature so there are no set rules. Once the hen starts incubating, she should stay with the egg or eggs. How do you know the hen didn't stay with the egg all night? Hens do come out of the nest box usually to defecate and feed if the cock isn't feeding her enough. Also just because the hen has laid an egg, it doesn't mean that they have actually mated. Have you actually seen them mate, rather than just feeding and preening each other?

I have just re-read your first post, and found a possible mistake that you have made. When the hen has laid an egg, and she leaves the box, if she is new to the box (which she clearly is) and it is dark because you have covered the cage with a blanket, how can she find her way back to the box??? She needs to have some form of night light so that she can see her way back, especially as she is not used to having the box.
Get a low wattage light bulb and use this during the dark hours, and if they are indoors, do not use the blanket, or at least leave the side which faces the light open so that the light will still enter the cage. I strongly believe that she has lost her way, and waited until the blanket has been removed and there has been daylight, and she then returned to the egg. It is likely that this egg may be infertile as she has come off it. However, I would leave the egg with her, but mark it with a water based ink pen so that you know which one it is, and if she lays more, mark them also. Just number from 1 upwards, and keep a record of the dates laid. After 10 days, get a small torch and shine the light through the egg. If you can see a solid mass and red veins inside then you have a fertile egg. If it is looks orange coloured inside, and there is no mass, it is infertile. You may throw that egg away and if she has laid more she may lay another to replace it.

I strongly suggest that you read this thread budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/thread/231/basic-budgerigar-breeding and learn about breeding. It is not just a case of putting a nest box on and it all happens. You have to put a fair bit of work in yourself, especially with feeding good food PRIOR to the breeding beginning and getting the birds in their best condition. It will also give you the info you need if something isn't going right.

First things first though, get a night light near to the cage, and either keep the blanket off, or at least leave the nearest side to the light uncovered.

[giancarlo]

Hello thanks for the good information!

Okay so today she laid her 2nd egg. There is a small amount of light so im pretty sure she can find her way back, she was in the box all day yesterday i think all night and all day today.

Also I see them mate like everyday, so it wouldn't be surprising if they are fertile.

What im concerned about is I took a peek of one of the eggs and I noticed that the top part of it is a faded gray color? Why is that?

[Hezz]

I am not sure, but know that it is not so unusual - I have a hen who has become a chronic layer, unfortunately, with at least one of hers like this. here may have been more, as most have broken on hitting the floor of the cage. I am not trying to breed her, so the eggs are not being incubated, so can't tell you whether it has anything to do with ...... well, anything, really.

[Budgies Retreat]

You need to post photos otherwise we are only guessing, especially when trying to describe something. The grey could be where she hasn't turned the egg regularly, or it could be a thicker part of the shell. If the shell has a thicker section than the rest, then she probably isn't in tip top condition as her shells aren't consistent. However, seeing as the egg is only a day or two old, I would leave it and see what it is like after 8-10 days.
I don't wish to upset you, but just because they mate everyday doesn't mean fertile eggs. After around 5 days, you should see a colour change in the shell. Initially they will have a slight orange tinge, and this will turn a whiter grey colour as the embryo begins to grow. As I said in my previous post, if you use a small torch around 10 days after laying, you should see a dark mass a tiny red veins inside if it is fertile. If it is fairly see through at this age then throw it away as it will be clear.