# first clutch ever



## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

So my male and female tiel didn't give me much of a choice if they were going to breed or not. Anyway, my female laid an egg last night, first egg ever that I know of. I'm not sure if it's fertile or not, but I also have another female in with them. I was wondering if I should take her out or if she will help out with the eggs? Also how soon will she sit on them? as of right now with just one egg it has been ignored and how soon can I candle it? it's a nice pink color right now.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

After five days you should be able to see something when candling. As to the extra hen, keep an eye on them. If there is fighting remove her, I had a hen get her nose bit because she went into another hen's box. She may not start sitting on the til after the 2nd or 3rd egg OR til she's laid the whole clutch. Good Luck!


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

roxy culver said:


> After five days you should be able to see something when candling. As to the extra hen, keep an eye on them. If there is fighting remove her, I had a hen get her nose bit because she went into another hen's box. She may not start sitting on the til after the 2nd or 3rd egg OR til she's laid the whole clutch. Good Luck!


Will any of them die if she doesn't sit on them right away? it's funny I thought I was ready for this, but it happened too soon lol. My male will he try to mate with my other female too, even though he already "maybe" mated with one of them?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

They can be viable for up to ten days without being sat on. And yes, your male might mate with the other hen, especially if he's not particularly bonded to the first one.


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

roxy culver said:


> They can be viable for up to ten days without being sat on. And yes, your male might mate with the other hen, especially if he's not particularly bonded to the first one.


Oh my. Would it be possible that both hens would try to care for the chicks?
Slightly off topic - is deformed toes passed on to chicks?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yes its possible that could happen if the laying hen allows it. 

Depends on how the toes were acquired. Did the parent get it in the box or were they born that way? If born like that, then it very well could be genetic.


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

roxy culver said:


> Yes its possible that could happen if the laying hen allows it.
> 
> Depends on how the toes were acquired. Did the parent get it in the box or were they born that way? If born like that, then it very well could be genetic.


Thanks for answering all my questions, I just want to make sure I am prepared for this.
as for the toes, I am unsure, I think she was born with it, due to poor breeding. I just was wondering, because she is the next hen my male could go after and if it's genetic, I want to stop it as much as I can, i don't think it's fair to her or her babies if she could pass it on to her young.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Can you post a picture of her feet? There's a certain type of weakness in the toes that's caused by poor nutrition in infancy. If that's what happened to your hen, it isn't genetic and her babies won't have the same problem as long as mom and dad have good nutritious foods to feed the babies.

It's possible that all three adults might take care of the babies, and it's also possible that the pair will get territorial and chase the extra hen away. It's possible that the extra hen will also lay eggs whether she's been mating with the male or not.


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

tielfan said:


> Can you post a picture of her feet? There's a certain type of weakness in the toes that's caused by poor nutrition in infancy. If that's what happened to your hen, it isn't genetic and her babies won't have the same problem as long as mom and dad have good nutritious foods to feed the babies.
> 
> It's possible that all three adults might take care of the babies, and it's also possible that the pair will get territorial and chase the extra hen away. It's possible that the extra hen will also lay eggs whether she's been mating with the male or not.


Not a very good picture but best I have of her toes.









Would it be best to take the extra hen out? or just leave her til there is a problem with her being in there? Also is it normal for the eggs to be a pink color?


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Just a question...how do you know which hen laid the egg? I don't think I would be allowing Winter to raise babies right now, if she's not very strong or in good health. I know next to nothing about breeding, though, so I'll just say good luck!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Pink means they haven't developed yet so yes that's normal. 

Personally, I would remove the extra hen as she could get hurt if she gets too curious and tries to go in the box. But if you aren't seeing any problems then its up to you what you want to do.


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

echolalia said:


> Just a question...how do you know which hen laid the egg? I don't think I would be allowing Winter to raise babies right now, if she's not very strong or in good health. I know next to nothing about breeding, though, so I'll just say good luck!


I know because no one but Angel was in the cage when the egg was laid, I found it when I put the other two back.

@Roxy culver so far no one is interested in the egg, so the extra hen doesn't bother any of them.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The picture quality isn't great but I lightened it up so we can see the foot better. It's hard to be sure but I think this might be related to poor nutrition in infancy. Take a look at the pictures in these threads and see if your hen's feet look similar:

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27094
http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=26532&page=2

Are your birds getting a well-balanced diet? If they aren't then their chicks could have the same problem, from inadequate nutrition not genetics. There's more info on diet at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27479


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

tielfan said:


> The picture quality isn't great but I lightened it up so we can see the foot better. It's hard to be sure but I think this might be related to poor nutrition in infancy. Take a look at the pictures in these threads and see if your hen's feet look similar:
> 
> http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27094
> http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=26532&page=2
> ...


both pictures look like her feet, she is also missing a toe.
They are on a really good diet all three of them. Plus they get sunlight when it is sunny, not though a window.I've also added vitamins to the water dishes and dried greens to the food dishes (twice a week) They also get egg once a week.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Does it look like the missing toe is the result of an accident or a fight, rather than a problem that she was born with? 

Since it looks like your hen was poorly nourished as a baby, she's not a great candidate for breeding. She might have internal weaknesses related to the early malnutrition, and egg laying and raising chicks could be a serious strain on her health.


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

tielfan said:


> Does it look like the missing toe is the result of an accident or a fight, rather than a problem that she was born with?
> 
> Since it looks like your hen was poorly nourished as a baby, she's not a great candidate for breeding. She might have internal weaknesses related to the early malnutrition, and egg laying and raising chicks could be a serious strain on her health.


Looks like from an accident.

I wasn't planning on breeding her (winter) but I just wanted to be sure I was doing the right thing, by trying to not let her breed. It would be best to take her out of the cage with the other two then?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If the hen with the foot issues is the extra hen it would be best to keep her in a separate cage where she doesn't have access to the nestbox, and use hormone control techniques if necessary to keep her out of breeding mode. In addition to safeguarding her against breeding-related health problems, it will prevent her from being the victim of an attack if the pair gets territorial about the nestbox. She might be at a disadvantage in a fight since she doesn't have normal foot strength and may have other issues too.


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