Birds--General/Parakeet Egg

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Expert: Abi - 12/22/2007


Question
My parakeet is about 5 years old. We had had two but one died recently. We had thought they were both males but about 5 days after it died the surviving parakeet laid an egg (which she had never done before). We had thought they were both males so we didn't have a nesting box or anything and the egg is at the bottom of the cage. Would it be safe to pick the egg up and place it in a nesting box? And is it possible that the egg is fertile even after the male had died?

Answer
It is safe to pick up the egg and put it in the nesting box, just don't roll it about or jolt it, and try to keep the same side facing up as before. I'm not sure if the egg is fertile or not- had the birds mated before the male died? It is always hard to tell with birds. I would say that it wouldn't be fertile but there is always a chance!

Thanks for your question.

Birds--General

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Abi

Expertise

I CAN'T ANSWER QUESTIONS ON ANIMALS OTHER THAN CHICKENS/DUCKS/GEESE- I WILL TRY BUT THEY ARE NOT MY SPECIALIST SUBJECT- PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT BUDGIES, FINCHES, PARROTS, COCKATIELS OR OTHER 'EXOTIC' BIRDS. I can answer questions on pretty much all CHICKEN breeds, including fancy and bantam birds. I can give advice on how to get the best egg production, brightest yolk colours and darkest egg shell colours, breeding (using broody hens, not incubators), bird problems/illnesses. I can give advice on all aspects of basic chicken care but I breed chickens for my own pleasure only, I do not often show or sell my birds.

Experience

I own and breed a wide range of chickens, but I speciallise in cochins and crevecour bantams; crevecours have a large crest (an afro!) so I can answer questions on problems concerning them; cochins have feathered legs, which leads to no end of problems which I have experienced! I also own a large flock of domestic, rescued 'battery' hens, and a single maran hen, Hilda, who is the matriarch of her flock, so I can give advice on how to get the best colour of maran eggs!

Education/Credentials
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