# Sitting on Five eggs



## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Just wanted the share 

A little while ago I found out that Swinger and Randy were sitting on two eggs and have been watching them closely since Randy is experienced and has had a few clutches with his previous owner and Swinger is new to it this is her first.

Well after watching and waiting they have five eggs in total but I wasn't able to candle them because I couldn't get a time that they were both out of the nest at the same time.
But yesterday to my surprise both came out so I ran inside for a torch and how many did I find were fertile ALL five. Someone was a busy boy :lol:

First egg layed: 18/08
Second egg layed: 20/08
Third egg layed: 22/08
Fourth egg layed: 24/08
Fifth egg layed: 26/08

She sat on them all night as she was laying but neither were on them in the afternoon, they didn't start sitting on them all the time until the fifth was layed. So I'm not really sure if the hatch date should be counted from the fifth egg or from the day each was layed.

A picture of the eggs








One of Swinger on them








I do have a picture with both on the eggs but can't get it off the camera right now. But here's one with Randy in their old cage








Hoping everything goes smoothly they seem to be doing a good job so far


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## scruffy (Aug 9, 2013)

Good luck with your babies. I count approx 18 days from first egg and then check each morning, and if none hatched, check again in afternoon. You can't make them hatch so be patient. My wf pair were great parents from their first clutch and are currently sitting on 6 eggs, due to start hatching in a couple of days.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Thank you, will do that and good luck with your little babies to


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Oooh, exciting! Sounds promising.  I wonder what mutations their babies will be?


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

That is very exciting  I wonder what kind of chicks they will produce


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

Aw congrats!
Their babies will be gorgeous


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Count from the time that incubation began. The eggs won't start developing before that unless the weather is so hot that the air temperature alone is enough to incubate the eggs.

Many sources will tell you it's 21 days to hatch. 16-18 days is actually a lot more common, although it can take longer if the weather is cool.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Haimovfids said:


> That is very exciting  I wonder what kind of chicks they will produce


Haha Baruch we pretty much wrote the same thing!


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Ok, Thank you at first I did think it was the 21 days, so counting 16 days, that means it will be around the 11th Wednesday onwards, so I'll just check them each day to make sure everything is going ok. It will probably take longer because it's the colder months.

Yeh, I'm pretty excited to and curious what they'll look like  I'm going to let the parents raise them though so Swinger can learn how it's done, but I'll handle them if the parents let me.
I've made my homemade brooder just in case, though I'm hoping it won't come to that


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Sounds good, best of luck! And of course keep us updated.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> I'll handle them if the parents let me.


When the oldest chick is about a week old the parents will usually start spending most of their time outside the nestbox, and you'll have handling opportunities then. It can be a good idea to put the parents in a different cage before you start messing around though, because they might not be pleased that you have your hands in the nest.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Thank you for all your help so far tielfan

I think we may have lost one  Just did my check and one of the eggs appear to be getting a bit of a dark colouring on the side of it, the other four still look ok, but I'm leaving the other egg in there.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

That might mean that you have a DIS or its just the embryo getting bigger
Can you take a pic


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

A picture would help. If it turns grey or brown, you need to remove it immediately. That's a sign of DIS and if that egg were to break, it could cause bacteria build up that could hurt the other eggs.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

I'll try and get one tomorrow afternoon when I finish work, it would be a shame if it's dis since they are so close to their hatch dates, hopefully it's just that it's getting bigger because it isn't dark like I've seen in some pictures on the internet.
But I'll take another look tomorrow to see if it's darker and get a picture then.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

I wasn't able to get a look or a picture because they wouldn't come of the eggs, so I'm not going to make them since it's cold, rainy and windy today.

But I got a picture of them both on the eggs to share


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

blueybluesky said:


> View attachment 29202


Cute photo! I love these nestbox pics when they're peering up at the camera, too cute. :blush:

Hope the eggs are doing well! Best wishes.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Just heard a noise coming from the aviary and look who I saw.
Welcome baby number 1 








He picked a horrible day to hatch on with all the rain and it's colder

It's blurred though because I wanted to get in and out of there quick, but if you notice the egg near his bottom on the left thats the one that I think may be DIS, if you look closely you can see the shell isn't white but a bit darker.


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

Congrats!
The parents look adorable too

Can't wait for the rest to hatch


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

It does look DIS, do you know what # it was? Also, the next chance you get, remove the empty egg shell. If you don't, it could get wrapped around another egg and that baby will have a hard time hatching. Congrats on baby #1!


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

I'm not sure what number it was, there were already two when I saw they had layed so didn't know which was first and thanks I'll remove it next time I check them, I think the big bit is on the other side of the box so it's only the little part near the other eggs but I'll still remove it.
I was thinking of taking it out when I took the photo but was worried the wouldn't go back in.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Aww look at the baby isn't it so exciting

You can go in the nest when the parents are out! People say that they will abandon the eggs/chicks but that is incorrect! Actually it would be even better if you take the shell out for the safety of the new eggs


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It looks like baby has pink eyes, the only darkness I see around the head looks like a shadow. If the eyes are pink, it's a lutino girl!

Rainy weather would mean more humidity, which helps with hatching. The cold weather not so much of course, but mom and dad will help keep everything warm.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

So just a little update

I haven't been able to catch a time that they are both out of the nest yet so haven't been able to remove the shells, by the number of shells now I would say that three of the babies have hatched and the shells have been pushed to the other side of the box. I could still slightly see an egg under Randy so my guess is number four hasn't hatched yet.

They have both been doing a good job so far sitting on them and I got a peak at the little yellow fluff ball from under them  I haven't actually seen the others yet but I can hear them and heard what sounded like the parents feeding them.
First chance I get I'll remove the shells and try to get a picture


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

I've got a question if any one can help that would be great.

The parents are doing such a good job keeping the bubs warm that I can't actually get in there to make sure they are ok and to remove the shells, I've seen two bubs moving under swinger but have no idea about the third or if the fourth has even hatched.
I'm getting a bit worried because most the shells have made there way back under or near swinger and I saw one bit of shell moving like a baby might have been near it. So I'm worried that the pointy bits of the shells might hurt swinger while she's sitting on them or hurt the babies.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get them out without disturbing the parents or to get both parents to come out on their own so I can do a quick check or would it be better to wait the week until they don't spend so much time in there?


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## scootergirl762 (Aug 27, 2013)

I'm enjoying reading about your hatching chicks! Very exciting!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

You can open the door and *quickly* scoop the parent bird out of the nest with your hand, or with a spatula or some other aid if you're afraid of the beak. Watch the parent's feet to make sure a baby isn't tangled up in them. It's important to move fast. If you don't the parent will be jumping around trying to strike at you, and trampling eggs and babies in the process.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Thanks for the advice tielfan.
I got them out how you suggested and checked everything out and removed the empty shells.

Also I removed the DIS egg and number four didn't hatch because that appears to be DIS also








and on a more happier note there are three babies, so 3 out of 5 is still pretty good and they all look good to


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Sorry about the two eggs, but on a brighter note, you do however still have 3 cute little bubs which is certainly great, congrats!


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

They are so adorable  I wonder what mutation they will be


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Babies! :excited:


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

How are the bubs going?!


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

They are going good, I was a bit worried last night that they might get cold because it started to hail a little bit, but the parents did a good job.
I had the luck of both of them being out the box when I finished work so I took the babies out for a tiny bit while I put more shavings in there and got a couple of pictures, not very clear though















They look like one big fluff ball together  the oldest one is going to be a week old tomorrow night and the other two on thursday

I'll have to try and get some pics of them seperately


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Precious


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Aww, bless!









Looking forward to seeing more photos.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Got bad news, we lost all three of the babies 

I heard some thumping sounds coming from the nest box and went straight in to see what was going on, I found Randy standing where the babies were and they look all red like he had pecked them.

Does anyone know if my dad using his tractor for dropping some limestone blocks on the ground around 3 to 4 metres away from the aviary and cutting down a tree a few hours earlier will have made Randy freak out and think it was unsafe? because when I first got Randy his previous owner said he would handle the babies so it cant have been me holding them and his clutches were always successful then.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Oh no, so sorry about the babies.







I would guess if he got really startled while in the nest box he may have jumped all over the babies and that is what caused their death. How horrible, and again, I am so very sorry.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

That's terrible  I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost a baby 2 days old, it's so hard to loose them


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Thanks guys, it is hard I feel so bad and especially for swinger because she went back in the box and layed there with no babies.
I asked my dad not to do his work while the babies were there but he did it while I was at work so I couldn't stop him.
Do you think that if Randy and Swinger were to have another go in the future that he would be safe to leave with the babies or not?


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

I don't see why there shouldn't be a second chance 
Now that we know what caused it you can try hard not to let it happen and prepare for a success 
But you should give them a break from breeding for a few months


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Yeh, that's what I plan on doing and I'm going to give them some more supplements to make up for what they might have lost feeding the babies, also thought I would take the chance to do the aviary up with some more perches and toys or wait for the big one to get set up. 
Thats why my dad was doing the limestone, he was making a retaining wall around the area that their new aviary is going, it's massive. Plus I think it might be more successful if I wait for the warmer months, I'm in no hurry.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Thumping in the nest box sounds like it might have been a parent thrashing around in fear, similar to what they do with night frights. Please be sure to let your father know (nicely) that the construction noises might have caused this panic in the nest box, so that next time the two of you can hopefully coordinate better on scheduling things.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

I've already told him about it and he tried to pull it back on me saying are you sure it wasn't holding them that did it.
We were also told from a friend that knows someone who used to breed galahs that if eggs are near to hatching and there's a thunder storm the vibrations can cause them to die in the shell, while the thunder wasn't bad the vibration from my dads work was and I suspect that might be why those two died in the shell at the time.
After I heard that I asked my mum to make sure he didn't do any work while I was out but he's difficult to convince.

I'm going to remove the nest box for a while because Randy is already looking at Swinger like he wants another go


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Holding the babies is fine - loads of cockatiel breeders do it without any problems.


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