Talk about something in the air....... it is not like it is particularly warm here in the winter, rather, it is much colder than in the summer, even inside. I do put a heater in their room when I know they are about to lay an egg, but still.
I have known for about three days she was probably going to lay en egg. And this is with their going outside to their flight cage all day, and just coming into to a little sleep cage at night, and of course no nest box anywhere. So not exactly optimum conditions for egg laying! Still, Miss Patty has always had a haphazard quality to life, you might say. I believe she was a breeder bird in some previous life, so she is probably used to continually laying eggs in less than desirable conditions.
The last egg she laid with me, she ate shortly after laying. As horrible as that sounds, birds do eat their own eggs if the egg is not fertile, the conditions are not those which would allow the chick to flourish, or the mother is not healthy enough to take care of them after depleting her system of those nutrients. As she laid that egg after I had her only a few months, she was still not very healthy, and did have a lot of trouble laying it. So, overall, I think it was very wise of her to eat it.
I am very happy that she laid this one with no problem, though. Pearl mutation tiels are known for having more trouble laying eggs, plus my first tiel was a pearl. Obviously, just because she had trouble does not mean every pearl does, but it is still very worrying for me. And fortunately, tiels do not take nearly as long to develop their eggs as ekkies do, so a lot less worry time for me!
This egg she laid last night, and when I went in there this morning to take them all out to their flight cage, she happily jumped off it to go outside. Apparently, the lure of motherhood is not there for her! I do have fake eggs for tiels, so I have already replaced it, just in case she does become interested in sitting on it.
I have known for about three days she was probably going to lay en egg. And this is with their going outside to their flight cage all day, and just coming into to a little sleep cage at night, and of course no nest box anywhere. So not exactly optimum conditions for egg laying! Still, Miss Patty has always had a haphazard quality to life, you might say. I believe she was a breeder bird in some previous life, so she is probably used to continually laying eggs in less than desirable conditions.
The last egg she laid with me, she ate shortly after laying. As horrible as that sounds, birds do eat their own eggs if the egg is not fertile, the conditions are not those which would allow the chick to flourish, or the mother is not healthy enough to take care of them after depleting her system of those nutrients. As she laid that egg after I had her only a few months, she was still not very healthy, and did have a lot of trouble laying it. So, overall, I think it was very wise of her to eat it.
I am very happy that she laid this one with no problem, though. Pearl mutation tiels are known for having more trouble laying eggs, plus my first tiel was a pearl. Obviously, just because she had trouble does not mean every pearl does, but it is still very worrying for me. And fortunately, tiels do not take nearly as long to develop their eggs as ekkies do, so a lot less worry time for me!
This egg she laid last night, and when I went in there this morning to take them all out to their flight cage, she happily jumped off it to go outside. Apparently, the lure of motherhood is not there for her! I do have fake eggs for tiels, so I have already replaced it, just in case she does become interested in sitting on it.
It has very interesting stripes in the shell,not sure if you can see them.
And the egg in the cage, where she was sitting on it(before happily hopping off). I change the paper every
evening before they come back in,
but by morning it always looks like this.
4 comments:
What a beautiful little egg! Can you blow those out? Kinda too tiny maybe, but you'd only need a little pin prick to get in there. The stripes are really pretty.
You are such a good mom.
My parents' tiels, former breeders, also show no interest in their eggs. We joke that they had their babies young and now they want to enjoy their young adulthood in a carefree way! And also that they understand the tiel overpopulation and are doing their part by treating their eggs as toys.
awwwww--it is pretty!! She must be very proud of herself. Will it be fertile?
Cindy
www.zoesnest.blogspot.com
I don't think anyone will every find out if they are fertile, Miss Patty has laid several more eggs, none of which she has cared to sit on at all!
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