Grasshopper Smashing Violin ([info]aubrey_osiris) wrote in [info]cockatiels,
@ 2004-12-23 23:42:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Current mood: anxious

Egg o_o
I come with a question~! (I'll introduce the bird-creatures at a later date.)

My female just laid an egg. She's 8 years old and has never laid before, and I have no idea what to do, courtesy of zero experience. I also don't know if it's fertile (she shares a cage with my male), etcetcetc. ^^; I just need some advice from people with hands-on experience. I'm doing a bit of research and am ready to get veterinary advice if required, but I have a need to tell the world anyway.

Sorry if I sound like a babbling over-protective mommy.

Thanks for any information you can provide. :D


(Post a new comment)


[info]wadinchica
2004-12-24 07:00 am UTC (link)
I was pretty freaked out the firt time my bird layed also. I'm not sure if the age part means anything, but I know giving her lots of calcium rich foods is important. A recipe my birds enjoy is cornbread with brocolli and eggshell in it- it was an easy way to get them to eat their veggies! Also, don't take the egg away or she will just lay to compensate. 'Tiels tend to lay every other day and have 3-5 eggs in a clutch. If you are woried about fertilization you can freeze or boil the eggs then give them back to her, but make sure you mark them to know which eggs you treate already and get the egg back to room temp before returning. I believe there are also fake eggs you can replace hers with, and hopefully she will believe they are hers.
I hope this helps!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]aubrey_osiris
2004-12-25 02:14 am UTC (link)
She startled me and I didn't have excess calcium on hand. If I had thought about it a little more, I would've given her some extra nutrients before she laid the egg, rather than after.
She has courted my male for at least 4 or 5 years, but it never amounted to anything. ...Merry Christmas to me, lol. :P

I've been giving her calcium-rich foods. Still afraid of egg-binding (she's a fragile bird), though I hope that's just me panicking and fretting.
Thanks for the eggshell recipe-- I'll be sure to try it out. :D

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]ltdead
2004-12-24 08:56 am UTC (link)
re: freezing the eggs, be sure you freeze them for 24 hours and let them get back to room temperature before putting them back right where you found them.
Ground egg shells sprinkled on food is a good calcium suppliment. Access to cuttle bone or mineral blocks can help. And natural sunlight can be very important (it helps the body absorb the calcium). You can take your bird outside (in a harness or cage for safety, please!) or install those full-spectrum reptile lights. Unfortunately sunlight that comes through a window is pretty much worthless. All the good stuff gets filtered out.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]aubrey_osiris
2004-12-25 02:19 am UTC (link)
I'll look for reptile lights to have on hand if this ever happens again in the winter. I don't want to freeze her cute little tail feathers. ;D

Vitamin D3 is probably available in liquid form (in lieu of sunlight), so I'll try to get some of that, too.

Thanks~

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]ltdead
2004-12-25 02:55 am UTC (link)
The problem with using D3 suppliments is that it`s hard to get a proper balance. Use too much and your bird can run into problems with having TOO MUCH calcium. It should only be used with vet guidence.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]meadowflower
2004-12-24 06:46 pm UTC (link)
Do you want the egg to hatch/have baby birdies? You wouldn't freeze the egg then, of course, and would need advice on bringing up the baby.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]aubrey_osiris
2004-12-25 02:21 am UTC (link)
I'm not quite sure what to do about that yet. If the eggs are fertile, I want to give them to someone who knows how to take care of babies. I'm not skilled enough at this point, and besides, my dad would evict all of us, feathered and unfeathered alike. :P (I do understand his view, especially since one of my birds has a huge mouth. ...We love him anyway~)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]ltdead
2004-12-25 03:06 am UTC (link)
Honestly, I would recommend against giving the eggs to someone else (not unless you`re planning on loaning them the two parents as well). Taking the eggs away from the female could likely cause her to lay more (though you COULD replace them with dummy eggs...) and I think incubator-hatched chicks isn`t the best idea (but perhaps this other person could give the eggs to a surrogate mom?)
The longer the chicks can stay with their mother, the better it is for their socialization and mental health. We just can`t give them the kind of attention and instruction that their parents would. If you co-parent (remove the chicks from the nest briefly to give them supplimental feedings and to handle them to get them used to people) they`ll grow up perfectly tame. They`ll enjoy contact with people, but still know that they`re birds. They`ll be less clingy, needy and neurotic. My friend`s lutino, which was hand raised, doesn`t know how to be a bird. She`s a neurotic plucker who takes it out on herself, her mate, and their chicks (forcing my friend to remove the chicks from the nest a bit earlier then she`d like). Genetics could certainly be playing a role in this (lutinos do tend to have some genetic problems like bad eyesight and they`re prone to night frights), but we`re both convinced that how she was raised (with no parental contact) also made it much worse.
It`s certainly not that all incubator hatched and hand-fed chicks WILL have problems... it`s that I`ve never known co-parented or parent raised chicks to have these problems, at all. They`re much more self confident little things.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]aubrey_osiris
2004-12-26 03:18 am UTC (link)
I was leaning more towards freezing them myself, but my mom keeps pressuring me to let them live. I think she's a little nuts. ;D
I wouldn't want to take a chance and have the babies develop psychological problems. I have no experience with breeding, either, and I don't intend to start at the moment. ^~

And about the vitamin D3, I'll talk to my vet. I usually give both my birds a multivitamin supplement in their water, but I just wasn't sure if it was enough.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]freeflight11
2004-12-25 07:21 pm UTC (link)
You have stated it twice now I believe that you are not experienced enough to hatch these eggs. So I strongly urge you NOT to hatch these eggs. I would freeze (as mentioned) or replace (better in my opinion)with fake eggs ASAP.

You don't want to take the eggs away unless you are positive your birds have NOTHING to do with the eggs. Some Tiels are real protective of their eggs and you should let them do whatever with them until they become bored with them (may take a while). If you immediatly take away the eggs and your bird IS interested in them, then she might hurry and lay another so that she has one to sit on. You don't want this. It takes alot of nutrients and energy to lay an egg. Their immune system will be weak after laying an egg and (as mentioned) need calcium plus rest.

Since she probably will lay another or two, be weary of egg-binding. That can be a life or death situtation if you hen does get egg-bound. Good luck with your Tiels, remember, rest and lots of calcium and nutrient rich foods!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]aubrey_osiris
2004-12-26 03:23 am UTC (link)
I'm definitely not experienced enough and refuse to hatch them myself, no worries. ;D

When she laid her first egg, I was afraid to clean the cage because I didn't want to upset her by moving it. She tolerated my nonsense and has been for the last two days, but she still rolls the egg around a bit.
Judging from the way she's acting now, she'll likely lay another tonight or tomorrow.

As for the egg-binding, I've been watching her to the point where my family thinks I've gone insane. But I can't let anything happen to my baby~
She's bright-eyed and is moving about, so I think she's doing well. :D

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]oniid666
2004-12-29 08:36 am UTC (link)
You needa get your bird to the vet ASAP anywho, regardless of whether you keep the eggs or don't, the vet can assess the bird's condition, and make sure she's at least healthy enough to lay a clutch (which she might do just cuz that's how tiel's can be - they're very nesty birds).

(Reply to this)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…