Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 9/26/2008

Question
Hi My name is Jorge, I have 5 budgies for almost 2 years.
One pair are in one cage and the rest in other. male and female start mating around late august. My cage is a regular cage 24x18x18. I put a regular wood nest and coconut husk. the female decide for the coconut. She laid 4 eggs starting, the first egg around september first, but after many days of hatching on september 25 the hen throw out the eggs. I feel so bad. Could you explain to me the problem.
Is the coconut to small for hatching the eggs?.
Any Idea about this  thank very much

Answer
Hi, Jorge,

The hen threw the eggs out after about 25 days because they weren't going to hatch and she knew this.  Therefore, she got rid of the eggs.  The eggs were either unfertile to begin with, she didn't incubate them correctly, and/or perhaps some were fertile but for whatever reason, the embryo died in the shell.  Did you take the eggs out and open them to see what you could see inside the egg, i.e., a developing embryo (red veins and a dark spot inside the egg) or just plain normal egg (clear liquid and yolk)?  

The birds, usually the male, will pick which nesting box he wants, if there is more than 1 available.  Could be the coconut was too small....try removing it making them use the wooden box and see what happens.  The hen might not have been able to keep the eggs warm enough during incubation if the coconut wasn't big enough for her body to sufficiently cover all the eggs properly.  A coconut certainly wouldn't be large enough for the hen and a clutch of babies once they hatch, based on the coconut-type nests I've seen available, unless the coconut nest was laid sideways versus vertically.

Chrys