# Abandoning eggs at night???



## Mel (Jul 17, 2011)

Hi I have a pair of Tiels (first time parents) who laid 2 eggs with no problem, sitting on them all the time then just before the 3rd egg was laid i noticed they werent in the box at night time. They laid a 4th egg (which I transferred to another pair who are currently sitting on eggs) They will sit on the eggs during the day but never at night  any idea what could be happening? And what i could do about it? Even when the light is on they will still be outside of the nestbox.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It's normally the hen's job to sit at night. If she isn't doing her job properly it might not occur to the male to take over her shift.

Do you know whether they were sitting at night in the beginning? If they were, then something might have frightened the hen so badly that she doesn't want to go in there at night any more. If that's the case, it might help to prop the lid open a crack to let more light in. 

If they weren't previously sitting at night, then maybe her breeding instincts haven't fully kicked in. Further breeding experience might cure this problem - some birds need a lot of time to figure out what they're supposed to do. The current eggs might not be viable at this point, but leave them in there to give the parents as much time as possible to learn about incubation duties.

How old is she? Younger parents are more likely to have issues like this than a bird that is fully mature, but mature birds aren't guaranteed to be problem-free either.


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## Mel (Jul 17, 2011)

Thanks for replying tielfan. Yes she was definately sitting at the start (male was always out) the nest box is on the outside of the cage and has a slit in the back so light can get in. 
Hubby just informed me he found a green tree frog ontop of their box a few nights ago maybe that was it? We did have our territory day (AKA firecracker night) 4 nights ago, but she wasnt sitting the night before.
I knew the eggs wouldnt be viable so i transferred the newly laid egg to the other pair. I wasnt sure if i should leave the other eggs in or not. She hasnt laid anymore she was due to yesterday but i did catch them mating yesterday.

She is 16 months old


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

16 months is a little young - it's desirable for hens to be at least 18 months old, and 2 years is even better. So youth might be the reason, but critters on the nestbox followed by firecracker night might also be the reason. Is it possible to put some sort of screen around the nestbox so that any frogs that come around will sit on the screen, not directly on the nest itself?

If they're mating again, it's possible that they realize the eggs aren't viable so they're starting a new clutch.


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## Dreamcatchers (Apr 17, 2011)

I would say that this pair is young to be breeding just yet. Especially if they are both first time parents. Yes, natural instinct will probably kick in eventually but in the mean time you are potentially going to end up with the possibility of abandoned nests more than once. It will also take its toll on your pair by depleating the calcium level of your young hen if she continues to lay but not sit and stressing out the male who may resort to chasing the hen into the box to force her to sit. My recommendation would be to remove the nestbox from this pair for a couple more months. It is not an uncommon mistake to make, allowing a hen who seems ready to go to next to do it young - I did it myself in my early days - but speaking from experience, it is better to let them wait a few more months.


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