# getting close?



## trail_rider (Jan 14, 2009)

*getting close? ***more questions****

Quintin and Tilly have been sitting on four eggs. tomorrow will be day 21 since the first egg was laid. she didnt start sitting on them until after the second egg was laid. so when should they start to hatch? is it from the date laid or the date they begin incubation? and is it 18 or 21 days?


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## allen (Aug 25, 2007)

incubation date but most of mine hatched at 18 days some at 21 days so it can be any time now


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

I start counting from the day laid...18 days. *But,* I am in a very warm (summer, sometimes over 100) climate and that can accelerate hatches. Whereas when it is cooler it can delay hatches by a day. Thus, different areas of the country may experience different incubation to hatch times.


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## trail_rider (Jan 14, 2009)

what does a pip mark look like? i got a brief peek tonight an noticed a small circular mark on one of the eggs........it looks like when plastic gets stressed and turns really white??


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## allen (Aug 25, 2007)

it can take up to 24 hours for a chick to hatch so don,t bother them to much some have lost birds due to looking in the box to much even after they hatch parents see you freak out and they squash the chick bye accident


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## trail_rider (Jan 14, 2009)

i try not to peek to much, but the anticipation is killing me!! after they hatch will the parents stay in the box as much as they do now or will they spend more time out in the cage?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Piping egg
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/Mousebirds-and-more/Other%20birds/ah-pip.jpg

Cutting out
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/Mousebirds-and-more/Other birds/egg-cutting-out-framed.jpg


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## trail_rider (Jan 14, 2009)

Thank you for the pictures. I do not see anything like that. I am starting to loose hope.


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## trail_rider (Jan 14, 2009)

I talked to the breeder I got them from and she said that it is typically 21 days from the date she started sitting on them. which would be like today or tomorrow. She talked me through candling them, but my flash light is bigger than the egg so some of the light was going around the egg rather than through it so it was a bit hard to see what was going on. one egg has the air sack tilted from the end of the egg and another is a bit tilted but not as badly as the first one. I am going to get a smaller light tomorrow and see what i can see. any idea as to what is going on? should i hear the chicks inside the egg? because i dont does that mean i am outta luck?


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## allen (Aug 25, 2007)

i use a pen light so i would look for one of those


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## Jen144 (Nov 24, 2008)

If you see the egg completely dark with the air sac tilted, it means (in my experience) that the baby has gotten into the air sac and will hatch in the next 12-24 hours maximum. I'd recommend you leave the eggs a few more days and you might get some babies soon.


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## trail_rider (Jan 14, 2009)

well from what I can see, it is not completely dark but the air sac is tilted in two of the eggs. It is more of an orangish glow instead of dark.


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## dragon_tiels (Aug 24, 2009)

Here is a link to another thread that will take you to an album with awesome pictures of candled eggs...and then some. The link is in srtiels response, and the pictures with the candled aggs is on page 3. It sounds like the eggs are not fertile, or stopped developing early. Sorry. Just check out the pictures and see for yourself.

http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=11072&highlight=candleing+eggs


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Below is what you don't want to see. When there are not visable red veins leading up to the air cell, and there is an orange glow below the air cell, this could be a sign if DIS (dead in shell) But, if there *are* red veins still visible (not brown colored) then the egg is good and close to hatch.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

An egg very close to hatch will look similar to this. The crackled look to the center of the shell above the air cell was the pip. The black spot to the upper area is the eye/head. And there is a good red glow below the air cell which means the chick has absorbed the blood and is getting very close to hatch.


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## trail_rider (Jan 14, 2009)

Thank you all for your responses. I do not see any veins, so i guess it is safe to assume that they are not fertile. So, now what do I do? do i let her keep sitting on them or take them away?


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