To start off, I have a lovely pair of zebra finches, a female gray, and a male marked white. They seem to get along, and they sleep together in the nest at night, and don't mind each other's company. I haven't seen the actual act of mating between them however... but they seem to be intimate at times, and their behavior leading credence to them being a suitable pair.
On Saturday, August 13th, I discovered two eggs in their nest while checking up on their cage, and have been seeing an addition of one egg each day since. Today, August 16th, the egg count is totaled to be five, and a sixth egg may make its arrival tomorrow, I will be checking for that tomorrow morning. So far, the eggs have not yet been brooded during the day, but at night, the pair will go to their nest to roost like normally, only that I'm not sure if she has already began brooding them at night. I know that the eggs must be brooded consistently, but she hasn't brooded them in the day yet? I also know that pairs may not brood their clutch until all eggs have been laid, and I am thinking that there are still others to come. I'm not sure what to do at this point and if the parents have already begun the incubation process? I know that once begun, they must be kept within a constant temperature range for the chick's survival inside the egg. Will development if the egg is fertile cease inside because of it if she has already began to sit on the eggs at night?
What is it that officially signifies the brooding process, is there a difference on just sitting atop them, and brooding them? I know that fertile eggs can go a week without brooding, and still be in good condition? That means, she still has until this Friday before the first egg begins to be in bad condition? I have searched many articles and videos online about the incubation process particular to zebra finches but it still doesn't answer any of my questions?
Also, this morning, I found the eggs displaced from their normal spot, and scattered around the nest. I think reason for that was the excess nesting material, so I removed half carefully, with thoroughly cleansed hands, and placed the eggs back to where they once were. I did this in case to prevent the parents from accidentally harming the eggs with all the excess material around, and the eggs being individually strewn around the nest. The eggs appear to be undamaged, but I can't say that it is for sure, so I have posted a picture, and let me know what the present condition of these eggs are?
To break it down, this is what I hypothesize is going on?
1. Zebra finch accidentally brooding them in the night by resting on top of them but not during the day making the eggs less likely to hatch? To add to this, the cage is placed outside, we have been getting temperatures so high in the Californian summer that could even possibly "substitute" for the parents and act as a brooder for the eggs?
2. Zebra finch has laid all infertile eggs, and she knows this, but why does she always lay them in the nesting site at different times (early morning to early afternoon) but still lay them in the same spot, in the nest as if to have an actual purpose to laying them?
3. This one I hope to be the case.
Am I just freaking out for no reason, and the female is really just waiting until all her eggs have been laid to commence incubation? A good supporting evidence for this is the fact she's been on hopping from perch to perch, climbing cage walls, and going to the floor to nourish herself. As far as I know, she is not calcium deficient and is not suffering from being egg bound, she is highly active, spry, and doesn't appear to be sickly. Is she just building up her nourishment, and releasing out her energy before going in for the long egg sitting process?I know I may just be a neurotic first time bird pet owner, but I want to make sure I am doing everything I can, and not doing anything wrong.
I'm very sorry that this was wordy and lengthy but I really want answers. Please let me know. I will keep you all posted when something comes up. Thanks.
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