# 2 Eggs!



## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Hello everybody. I came back because I've got 2 eggs. I tried to continue on in my original thread (appears all my threads have been locked... hopefully due to age? And not me?) So here I am in a new threads

Sammy and Cousteau (the hen, lol) are in their own cage, with a nest box. They ahve been since mid/late March, after the move and we all settled in. THey'd been courting and mating for several months before that though.

Well, theyv'e finally decied to lay! It's the 3rd day since seeing the 1st egg, and there are now 2. Coustea and Sammy take turns sitting on them. Cousteau even let me open the nest box lid to peek in at her while sitting. (I knocked & announced myself first, of course) I've not touched them yet. Think I'll wait a while.

What do you guys advise?


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Congrats! I'd leave them to do the work.

She'll lay one every 48 hours until she's laid a clutch of 2-8. You've probably already done this but in case you haven't, make sure she's got plenty of calcium and provide themwith a shallow dish of water to bathe in each day. When parents wet the feathers on their lower body feathers, eggs are kept moist during the nesting phase. This will help to maintain the humidity level that embryos need to develop properly.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

:blink: I hadn't known about the wetting of the feathers. Glad I asked.


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## Raven2322 (Mar 1, 2008)

RitzieAnn said:


> :blink: I hadn't known about the wetting of the feathers. Glad I asked.


I knew about it, but didn't think my girl would do it, so stupidly didn't provide it, I just spray her down every once in a while or put a little spray of water on the eggs. Well, I'd like to say I was stupid for not giving her a water dish she could get in. I still don't know if she would have but I did have all the babies die the week they were due and someone suggested that might have been the problem. If they don't get the right amount it's bad. So definately give her a dish. I hope everything goes well for you.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Well, I've given Cousteau a "personal" sized pie dish of water. Haven't seen her in it, but I saw her drink from it. She spends a lot of time in the box, though she still comes out and greets me. There are 4 eggs now.

Sometimes she'll come out of the box when I check, and sometimes she'll stay in there.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Hope you get fluffy bubs, got my fingers crossed for you.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

:tiel4::tiel2: 

 :rofl: :excited:  :excited:  

I just candled my eggies!

There are four. 2 are 'white' with quite a visable yolk. They, I believe are 1 and 3 days old. (assuming they're the 2 newest laid)

The other two.... 

 :rofl: :excited:  :excited:  


*HEART BEATS*

I saw them!  Such excitement.

Hopefully Cousteau won't abandon them now that I've checked. The whole time they've had the box, I've checked it (and fluffed the bedding) almost every day. She's very friendly, though quite shy. I pet her before i touched eggs, and i let her out, and sammy too. Then I pet her when I put her back.

But, OMG. Little eggey heartbeats! *shivers* Oh what excitement!


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## Tony's Tiels (May 21, 2009)

Congrats, sounds like they are all going to be fine.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

I won't say how excited you must be, because it's obvious, LOL.


But congrats on the bubs! now you play the waiting game until they hatch!


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Well, no abandonment. In fact- there are now FIVE eggs!


Oh... and, I cleaned out my other cage (haven't done it in a while) but I found 3 eggs.  One, stuck in the grate, looked pretty fresh (no foul smell) it was broke open, but the yolk wasn't broken. And 2 eggs fallen through the grate into the litter (which would have been why I hand't seen them prolly- burried with the shredded popcicle sticks and stuff) I'm pretty sure it's Tally. I know she's laid eggs last year, before I got her. I've had her probably 8 months, and this is the first time I've seen eggs from anybody. I did catch either her, or Martha (her sister, almost identical) getting broody over the food dish, though that's not a first in our house. Guess it's time for swapping out the spare branches and "re decorating"?


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

UPDATE!

Last night (6-17) I candled. I found...


1: New egg, yellow yolk
2: New egg with veins and a tiny heartbeat
3: Dark inside, with veins, big moving blob
4: Dark inside, with veins, big moving blob
5: Dark inside, with veings. Didn't see movement, or I don't think I did


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Congratulations*!...it sounds like you are going to soon have little fuzy chicks soon


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Ok, Update on the eggs...


1: yellow yolk
2: Moving blob
3: Moving blob
4: Moving blob
5: Dark. Kind of bule. Very dense looking, except for air pocket. I'm thinking... dead? I can barely see veins by the air pocket, and can't seem to see the pocket move at all. It surely doesn't look like the eggs with moving blobs.

-side note, I've got the tread book marked for instant notification, and I don't get them. Not in my inbox, or my spam box. Happens with all threads i bookmark... I only get 1 or 2 notifications, then I stop getting them. Ideas?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

egg #5...sometimes it is hard to tell if alive or not. Give it a few more days. If alive the egg would feel warm on both sides, not just the side to the parents body (up) OK...another thing if dead it would look like a yellowish orange from the air cell down. If close to hatch the air cell would be tilted (low on 1 side)....

Aside from the above it looks like you are going to soon have little fuzzies


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

19 days since the first egg was laid... so it really should be hatching soon, huh?


....

OMG. I just candled again :O The yellow yolk one is still yellow yolk. Thinking it's not fertile at all. Then, the other 4, I think I saw something moving in each. When i looked the second time, i' asn't too sure on one. BUt... the biggest news... I'm thinking it's the one i wa worried about...

There's damage on it. Looks like it's coming from the inside. As I held it, on my palm and between my thump and index finger, i could feel it... _'tink.... tink....tink'_


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

It sounds like you have a pipping egg...that will be hatching soon!!


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

:blink:

The wait is killing me. Seeing it start, and FEELING it... oh boy. lol. I work night shift too, so its not like I'll be home all evening/night to peek at it. *sniff* I'm gonna miss my first chickey hatch!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

It should not be lomg now...It sounds like the little one is very close to hatching out.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Well... mixed feelings. It's 4am. I'm home and settled from work. I've got 5 eggs. I'm thrilled that I didn't miss out on the hatching, but... bummed out that I've only got eggs!

Also, I can now HEAR it peeping. It wiggles the whole egg when it peeps. I candled the others again also. I've got the one that's going to hatch (and I can see it's beek and eye through the shell), then there's the unfertile one, still just yellow yolk. The the other three all were moving, so I guess 4 of the 5 should hatch! 

With the yolk egg- how long should I leave it? I know she'll realize it's missing, so i've left it in palce, as the shell is showing no signs of discoloration, nor is the yolk inside.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Awe congrats, how exciting.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

As to the egg that is infertile leave it. You can mark the top with an *X* The reason why I leave it is because the babies can use it to prop up agsainst, and it will hold some heat so that when the parents are off the babies/eggs for a little bit they have something to keep them warm.

As to the other egg I would be getting worried about now if it hasn't hatched. How large is the air cell? Is it alot bigger than the other eggs that are good? The reason why I ask is because sometimes the baby could get trapped in the egg. Keep an eye on the egg, and please give us an update. I hope you wakeup to a little baby in the nestbox


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

I too hope you wake up to a baby. :excited:


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Nope. I woke to eggs. More cracks on the one, and it was peeping! But still just an egg. that was about 10am. I came home about 6 to grab a fresh pair of socks (long, amazing horse trail ride, might make a thread later with pics) and...


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Finally!!!...I bet you were glad to see the little one finally made it's entrance into the world. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

With how red it looks, it looks like it was slightly trapped in the egg and that delayed the hatch. keep an eye the 1st. 24 hours to make sure the parents are feeding. First you want to see that they hydrated it...meaning you'll see a tiny bubble of water at the base of the crop. This is good, because actual solid foods are not a priority upon hatch because the baby is still digesting the yolk absorbed.

Another sign that it was trapped is looking at the abdomen...you can see how dark the intentines are.

In the last pix the chick looks great.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Aw, congrats!!


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Oh wow, he is so tiny  Congrats


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Well, i found a second chickey. it's little butt was still inside a shell, and the chick was dead. it wasn't stuck. Well, possibly,but i mean it's leggs and head/body were all out, and it was just like a little 'seat', so i'm pretty sure it wasn't stuck, but it's dead. I removed it.

Today while in town, i picked up some zupreem formula. just to be ready in case  though, today, sammy had 'goop' on his face, and I know i hadn't given him anything wet last night or this morning, so i'd assume it's "baby food"


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

...sorry you lost the little one. It sounds like it was exhausted. Looking at the eggshell can also give a clue as to it's progress in hatching out. When a chick has no problem at all it is going to cut a perfect circle around the egg, and the top that comes off is the same size as the air cell was prior to pip. If the edges off the shell are ragged or irregular edged from the location of the air cell, or real low close to the middle of the egg it was disorientated and had trouble getting out.

The carefresh used in the nestbox will also rob moisture from the eggs if you do not have good humidity levels in the room/environment. from the looks in your pix above the hen lays slightly irregular shaped eggs and they also look to be very hardshelled.

Please keep us updated on your little one that is in the nest, and we'd love to see pix's as it grows


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

i could start changing the nest box a handfull at a time. What should I use in it? just aspen? I have them hay and paper easter grass in the CAGE so they could fluff up their own nest, and tey never took any of it into the box. I have hay, aspen, corncob, carefresh, paper easter grass, toilet paper. I've got any of those on hand, so could change it.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

From you pix I can see you still have some eggs that are good. The one with the crack on the side must be the one that is not good.

What I would suggest is to just sprinkle a little bit of the aspen shavings around (lift up baby and eggs) there the eggs and baby are.

If the one with the crack still shows yellow when candled leave it for a few more days. Take a wet paper towel and just lightly blot the inside walls of the nestbox. This will increase the humidity some. Don't wet/get any on the eggs or bedding where the chicks/eggs are lying.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

i tossed the yellow egg a few minutes ago, there was a chip in it, and it was starting to crack some. an air pocket moved on one of the others, and te second egg hasn't rolled yet.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

It sounds like you have another egg getting ready to pip  Hopefully tommorow you will have another fluffball.


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## Lovin_the_tiels (Jun 10, 2009)

Congrats Ritzie!!
I have 5 babies in the box right now almost 4 weeks old,,to my amazement when they hatched,i had one white little fluffy bub out of 5,never knew my 2 greys were split to whiteface!!LOLOL,I was so impatient for them to hatch,and i got the best surprise ever,as i just love whitefaces!!Congrats!!I know your enthuiasism(sp<)very well,i just went thru it!!!!!................Lisa


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Any more bubs?


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

well...

1: Chick (hatched the 26th)
2: Chick, hatched 27th, died
3: chick, hatched 30th
4: egg. no air pocket tilt yet. did find a little prick hole on the egg though, ear the air pocket, though not over it. it looks like from the outside, inward. hopefully the chick is still alive
5: not fertile. has been tossed.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Congratulations on the 2 that hatched, and (((HUGS))) for the one that didn't live.

You can candle #4. If still alive you are going to see veins leading up to the air cell edge, but if it glows orange near the air cell line like the pix it could be DIS


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Well, i tried hard to get some pictures of the egg, but it's hard to see inside of it. If i shut my flash off... well... it just did't work too well. here's what I got




























Yes, the egg is covered in barf. Ew. But see that little 'hole' in the egg?



And... some chickey pictures. the big one is 6 days old, and the small one is 3 days old


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

They're cuties, how adorable.

I've always been curious about their beaks when they've just been born/weeks after.. are they like soft or hard at all? (sorry for the randomness question)


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

RitzieAnn...the babies look like they are coming along nicely. You'll have to keep us posted as they grow  If you look at the 3rd. chick pix you took the pix just as the crop muscles were churning the food to deliver it into the opening of the digestive track. If you watch the crop of the little ones for a minute or two you will notice that it moves and churns the food.

Hmmm...as to that last egg it does not look too good. The air cell is too large, and even if good that reduces chances of a hatch by 99%. The hole probably contributed to the loss of the egg.

Solace...The beaks are semi-hard at hatch and within days hard, just not as thick as adults. Notice the very tip of the beak...the white spot. That is called the 'egg tooth' The baby will use this as a little chipping pick to crack the shell from the inside to work it's way around the circumference of the shell to hatch out. In some species like poultry and foul the egg tooth grops off after a couple of days, but with tiels and parrots it wears off, and sometimes can be still seen when the chick is 10-12 days old.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Still just two chickies. The older one... i'm pretty sure i saw it LOOKING at me  i didn't have long, so it was just a quick peep to be sure they were moving (I like getting moving head counts of my critters every day) I'll check him again tomorrow. i don't bug the chick too much, just a quick peek to be sure they're alive.

I'll likely take them for another photo op though


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

I tossed the egg. I sniffed near the chip, and it didn't smell very good.

But... on to the better parts...














































And daddy Sammy coming into the nest box wondering what I'm doing with his chickeys..


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Great pixs!!! The parents are doing a wonderful job with the babies. Beautiful!

You can really see the pearling real well on Mommy Bird, and daddy looks like a proud Papa


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

What cute little bubs


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## feathers (Aug 21, 2007)

*Wow*

that sounds really cute awww


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## Tony's Tiels (May 21, 2009)

Congrats ! 
I have a new interest in black feet, so looking forward to more pics as they grow


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## A-n-M (Aug 29, 2007)

They are so cute!


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Wondering if I should supplement the smaller one. I'll take pictures and see what you guys think.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes..please post a pix...front and side view.


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