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Question:

January 6, 2021

African grey eggs


I have a breeding pair we had 5 eggs two got broke by either the clumsy male or the female(I am leaning more it’s the male cause he is extremely clumsy)
I have taken the other 3 eggs and have them in an incubator however when I candle the eggs I’m not sure if they are viable….I don’t have the option to post a picture of the candled eggs but I do have pics…..how do I make sure these eggs are viable and not dead eggs??


Answer:

Hi,

You can send pics to customerservice@lafeber.com. When you say the male is clumsy, this can be a big problem with a breeding male. It can mean he isn’t able to mate properly as he needs balance to be able to mate. Both birds should be fully flighted and capable of flying. Clipped birds are rarely successful at breeding. Both birds also need to be old enough. A Grey pair should be at least 5-7 years old before you set them up for breeding. In the wild, they probably wouldn’t start breeding until they are closer to 10+ years. Captive bred parrots tend to mature at a very young age, but they really are not ready for breeding. It is best to let them get fully physically and mentally mature before you set them up. So if your pair or your male is under 5 years old, I would split them up and let him get older and more sure of himself. If he is old enough, he may need a large flight cage so he can build his strength and not be clumsy. Any parrot chick is very hard to handfeed from day one, and incubator hatched chicks can have health issues that are not apparent when they hatch. It’s really best to let this pair make some mistakes as they learn, so that eventually they can be good breeders and good parents. While greys are not as likely to breed all year, it’s still best to remove or block their nest box after each clutch, until the next year when breeding season begins. They do not need a nest year round – only when they are breeding, and it’s best to limit them to one clutch per year, two at the most with at least 6 months rest in between. In the wild they would have a clutch once a year, or once every two years.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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