Why is my conure birds eggs not hatching? She laid her first on April 30th which had a slight crack but the rest came within a week after. We didn’t check if there was cracks or not because she sits on them all day without leaving. it’s now currently June 7th. For more information, the environment is a wooden surface (she refuses to sit anywhere else but there unfortunately), she sits on them all day besides 5 minutes for a little break.
Hi,
Is she inside of a nest box, or is this just an open wooden surface? You can’t allow her to nest in the open. The eggs won’t stay warm enough, but mainly if they do manage to hatch, there is nothing to keep the chicks together. They will end up falling or getting where they get chilled and will die. They have to be inside of a nest box. This mimic the cavity that a wild conure would nest in. They would never nest in an open area. And if this is open, she may be getting off the eggs at night without you knowing.
First clutches almost always fail. They are often not fertile or not incubated properly. This is a learning process. If these eggs do not hatch, take her nest box or nesting area away and rest the pair for 6 months before letting them try again. This should be done after every clutch, whether the eggs hatch or not. If she is not in a nest box, you must get her to use one nest time. If she won’t use a nest box, then don’t try to breed her again. It’s just a strain on her body to form & lay eggs with no results. When you know a bird isn’t going to breed successfully, you should not keep trying.
For best results, the birds must be old enough – at least 3 years for the smaller conures and 5 years for the larger conures. If your birds are younger than this, then that is part of the problem. You need to be feeding a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets, NOT a loose seed mix. Loose seed can’t provide the nutrients they need. You should also offer leafy greens, veggies, some fruit, and while breeding, an egg food daily. You can offer a commercial dry egg food, or cook an egg with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the eggs. Offer this daily from when you hang the nest box until the chicks are weaned.
Finally, not all birds are good breeders. If there has been no success after 3 or 4 clutches at the most, then the pair will probably never be successful and should not be bred anymore. You can do everything perfectly and still not end up with any chicks. It’s very hard to breed parrots, and it often doesn’t work out. All you can do is provide the right kind of nest box, the best diet, and a quiet, private place for them and hope they produce.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
