01/11/2018
Problems with Breeding
Egg binding occurs when a hen who is forming an egg in her uterus does not have enough calcium to finish forming the egg shell. The shell does not become hard enough to push out, which causes the hen extreme stress and extreme risk.
To prevent egg binding it is very important to have a cuttlebone and mineral block available in the breeding cage. It is important to regularly check if the cuttlebone and mineral block have been used up. If so, they need to be replaced immediately. If a breeding pair does not touch the cuttlebone or mineral block, another calcium supplement may be necessary, such as oyster shell.
Failure to Lay Eggs
A failure to lay may be the result of the c**k or the hen being out of breeding condition. Not only do they need to be at least one year old, but their condition, including hormones, must also be right to breed.
If the pair does not lay after three weeks, consider taking them out of the breeding cage and trying another pair, or repairing them with different mates.
Infertile Eggs
One possible cause for infertile eggs is that the hen laid the first clutch too soon, before the c**k mated with her. Try blocking off the nest box for a few weeks, then allow her to lay a second clutch and see if they have better luck.
If the male is an English budgie, make sure the feathers around the vent are not so long that they cover the vent, preventing insemination. If the feathers are too long, trim them carefully with scissors, leaving the down showing around the vent.
Make sure all the perches are stable and do not wobble or roll.
If the pair produces two clutches of infertile eggs, remove them from the breeding cage and consider trying them with different mates or waiting until a later date to try again.
Eggs Thrown from the Nest
Make sure there is a concave area in the nest so that the hen can sit on all the eggs without any of them getting away.
If the hen is young (one or two years old) refrain from breeding her for another year. Hopefully she will lose the habit with maturity.
If the hen continues to discard her eggs from the nest, replace her eggs with dummy eggs or white marbles. After she incubates these for a week or two, remove them and allow her to lay another clutch hopefully she will have lost her egg-throwing habit.
If egg tossing continues to be a problem, you can use her to foster other chicks, but you won’t be able to breed her.
Cracked or Punctured Eggs
An egg with a crack or puncture will probably kill the baby.
Cracked/punctured eggs are often a result of the hen’s nails being too long. For information on nail trimming, see FAQ –
Nail Trimming.
You can attempt to repair a cracked egg before it dries out by covering (only the cracked area) with non-toxic clear nail polish. This will often save the chick.
Unfed Chicks
You can tell a newly hatch chick is being fed by looking at the crop (below the neck) to see if it is full of a milky liquid.
If the hen does not feed the chicks, try putting an older baby from another pair into the nest. The older chick’s cries for food will stimulate the hen to feed her clutch.
If the young chicks have gone without food, purchase some hand-feeding formula from a pet store and hand-feed them. If the babies are newly hatched, you will not be able to use a syringe due to their small size. After cooking up the formula, dab a toothpick into the mix and then put it into the baby’s beak. It should eat the formula from the toothpick. Do this until its crop is full.
