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Question:

January 31, 2022

Bourke parakeet died suddenly and has 2 eggs in nest.


I’ve had a pair of bourke parakeets since December, Noah and Rosy. This morning I found Rosy laying still on the floor of her cage. I don’t know why she died. What can I do for Noah to help him through this? Is there any way of saving her eggs? I have supplies for handfeeding baby birds, but no incubator. I’m heartbroken, shocked, but want to try to save the eggs. I’ve never bred birds before. This is all new t o. Anything you can offer in advice is well appreciated. Thank you.


Answer:

Hi Liz,

I’m very sorry for your loss. It’s very likely that Rosy died from some complication related to laying eggs, such as egg binding. Since you just got them in December, it was probably too soon for them to have a nest box. Was this pair purchased as a breeding pair? Had they already bred? Were both birds at least 2 years old? She may have been too young to be set up with a mate. If she had been laying eggs before you got her, she may have already laid too many eggs and this affected her health. Laying eggs takes a lot of protein and calcium out of a hen. She should be eating a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets, as well as greens, veggies fruits and an egg food, which replaces the calcium and protein she loses during egg production. Without good nutrition and the egg food, a hen can die from the stress of egg production. This is also why she should be limited to laying eggs twice a year, with a 6 month rest in between. I’m sorry you were not given the right instructions for maintaining a breeding pair.

Noah will grieve for a while, but should be OK eventually. As for the eggs, sadly it is best to discard them. Eggs have to be incubated for at least 48 hours before they even begin any development, so these eggs were not at a viable stage yet anyway. Incubating parrot eggs is very hard to do, and with small birds it isn’t recommended, because it is almost impossible to keep the chicks alive with hand feeding, even with the most experienced person. Give Noah time to adjust, and if you want to try to breed in the future, make sure to get a hen that is the same age as Noah, or a bit older. Do not put a young female with him. Bourkes are not the easiest to breed. The males tend to get aggressive towards the females, especially if the female isn’t receptive to him when he wants to mate. This is why you can’t put a young hen with him, or he is likely to kill her. This is a sad situation, but you have time to do more research on breeding these birds and can be more prepared if you decide to get another hen and try again. We are always here to help if you need advice.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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