Hi Monica,
Since the eggs are laid a day apart, they hatch in the same order. So the last egg is just barely “overdue”. However, since she has thrown one out, it’s likely the rest of the eggs are no good. They may simply not be fertile or poorly incubated or there can be other issues. Did the discarded egg break or did you open it? This can help you see if the other eggs might be fertile. An infertile egg will look like the eggs you buy to eat. A fertile egg will have veins, or possibly a partially of fully developed chick. The only reason this is good to know is if the chick looked developed, then there could be a humidity or other issue that caused it to not be able to break the shell. If you know how to candle the eggs, and if the hen allows you to check the eggs, you could try to see if the rest are fertile. My guess is, they are not going to hatch and the hen knows this. She may continue to throw the older eggs out. It’s best to let her sort this out because she needs to learn.
It sounds like she has already started another clutch. This isn’t ideal because it’s time for the pair to rest. But, since she is not feeding chicks, it’s OK to let her lay this second clutch. If the second clutch of eggs hatch, then you need to remove the nest box as soon as the chicks leave the nest. Then rest the parents for 6 months before returning the nest box. The same goes if the eggs do not hatch. She should not try a third clutch in a row. Egg laying is hard on her body and in the wild, they would only have one clutch per year. In captivity, they do not receive the environmental signals to stop breeding, so they will breed year round. This is not healthy for them or for any chicks they produce. So always remove the box and rest the pair for 6 months in between clutches.
She may be showing aggression to the male because he is ready to mate again. Some males would rather mate than settle down and take care of eggs and chicks. Watch the pair closely and if there is any serious fighting – feathers being pulled out or blood drawn – you will have to remove the male. If you do this, you need to rotate the parents every 12 hours to let each bird sit on the eggs for their shift. Generally one sits during the day and one sits at night. It is too much work for the female to do by herself. And sometimes, the male gets aggressive and blocks the hen from the box. It’s not known why some captive males do this, but if it happens, you have to rotate the parents. Hopefully both will settle down and care for this second clutch.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
