Ask Lafeber

Question:

January 22, 2021

Parakeet eggs


My birds are a pair and she has 3 eggs, but she is only sitting on 2. Is there something wrong with the egg or should I move by the other eggs.


Answer:

Hi Ashley,

Does she have a nest box or are these on the cage floor? Is this their first clutch? If she has never had eggs before, it is normal for her to make some mistakes. The first clutch usually fails for that reason. If she is just on the cage floor, this is a big problem because she has no way to keep the eggs together or to contain the chicks if any hatch. And she will have a harder time keeping the eggs and chicks warm enough. If she has a nest box, sometimes an egg gets pushed aside. She may sense that it isn’t good, or she may have cracked it, or again it just may be inexperience. It is best to let the pair learn and make mistakes so that they will do better in the future. If these eggs hatch and they do raise chicks, remove the nest box as soon as the chicks have left it. If the eggs don’t hatch, remove the nest box as soon as they quit caring for the eggs. A pair needs to be rested for about 6 months between every clutch, and only allowed to have 2 clutches per year. Otherwise it will risk the female’s health, and the eggs are more likely to start being infertile or the chicks will not be as healthy.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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