Incubation

[Bonnie-Clyde]

Hi there, we have a gorgeous pair of Fisches love birds and they've been with us for about 18 mths now. They have lots of clutches but they never get to hatch as it seems that just as they are due she abandons the nest. I candled the eggs and some are fertile some blank... this is always the case. I wonder if the shells could be too thick... or is that silly? have 3 fertile eggs due to hatch this week....

ANy advice appreciated, thanks

[linda040899]

When you candle a fertile egg and the chick inside is alive, the inside of the egg will appear to be a dark reddish color. Red is what you are looking for. If the chick dies before it can hatch, the inside coloring turns amber grey. If you pick up the eggs to candle them, make sure you have something soft under where you are working (eggs dropped on hard surfaces generally don't fare too well....) and hold the egg point side down.

You can tell when a chick is close to hatching by looking at the air cell in the wide end of the egg. About 3 days before hatching, that air cell begins to get larger as fluid draws down so the chick will have about a 40 hour air supply. It takes about 40 hours from first pip to final hatching. If you look at a hatching egg, make a note of the time and add 40 hours. That's about when you can expect to see a baby.

If you happen to check on the eggs and you hear one continually chirping, it could mean that you have a baby in trouble that will need help to hatch because either the shell is too thick or the calcium didn't soften enough for the chick to crack it. Should you find yourself in that position, post in the I Need Help NOW section and I can help you through it.