canary hen keeps getting off eggs

[MrBrittsBirds]

i got canary hen on 3 eggs and today the first is supposed to hatch , yesterday one egg started pipping and today its not progressed much how long does it take for eggs to hatch out fully ? i checked the eggs today and another is pipping i can hear them , the hen bird is on her own and she gets off the eggs quite a lot
around once every 5 minutes to eat and go back , she gets off for 30 seconds or a minute would this cause the eggs to stop hatching ? by the way its day 14 today .

[Dave]

Is this her first nest?

or, is this her first nest of the season?

Young hens can sometimes be so anxious to start another nest that they jump the gun on that. Is the male with her?

or, if the humidity is too low the chicks have trouble breaking through.
(that can be cured by having bath water available to the hen through the setting period).

Or, maybe nothing is wrong at all and she and the chicks will do fine.

[MrBrittsBirds]

hi dave theres no bath in there *( should i put one in ? , and she has been sat for the longest time now about 30 min , the cocks been removed and its her first season , theres no other nest site for her to try making another nest
thanks .

[Dave]

If you allow a bath for a hen, she'll maintain the moisture level for the eggs on her own. i.e. she'll get her feathers wet, dry them to some extent, and then sit on the eggs.

Really, my rule of thumb is to let the birds figure it out. First time hens sometimes lose the first nest and then get it right on the next nest.

[MrBrittsBirds]

hi if i put an egg in an incubator with high humidity and when it hatches put it back in nest would the hen reject it ? or if i spray the hen with water ? iv put a bath but shes not going in

[lovezebs]

MrBrittsBirds

If you remove the eggs, it's highly unlikely that she will take them back.

Because she's on her own, she has to leave the nest to eat, drink and go to the washroom.

Because you can't be 100% sure when exactly she started sitting tight, I would leave the eggs alone for now. If you try to help the chicks out of the eggs, the likelyhood of them dying, is extremely high.

How is the Dad doing by the way?

[MrBrittsBirds]

hi thanks for the reply , the dad is doing well iv treated him hes in a separate cage for now . one chicks out so far and shes sitting tight , i can hear the other chicks pecking the eggs too . ill be getting some egg-food for them tomorrow . i have not seen the hen feed the chick so far does she feed a day after hatching ?

[MrBrittsBirds]

also does the hen help them out the eggs as i think she did this for the one that hatched

[Dave]

Because she's on her own, she has to leave the nest to eat, drink and go to the washroom.

@lovezebs, None of my cages have a washroom, but now you've got me thinking....I had this mental flash of a bird cage fitted out like Snoopy's doghouse: stairway, pool table, etc.

[lovezebs]

Dave

What, no washrooms???

https://goo.gl/images/MM2orM

I am shocked!!!

[lovezebs]

MrBrittsBirds

Glad to hear that your boy is feeling better.

Regarding the babies. Mom will know what to do, no worries.

Get them fitted out with hard boiled eggs, spray millet, and a variety of good veggies.

If parents feel that there isn't enough food, or enough proper food, they may stop feeding or not feed at all.

Congratulations on baby number one

[Sojourner]

Why did you remove the male? Typically it takes both mom AND dad to care for the chicks until they fledge. In fact, male canaries will even feed MOM so she doesn't have to leave the nest.

[MrBrittsBirds]

the dad was sick , air sac mites

[lovezebs]

MrBrittsBirds

How are things coming along?

Any babies yet?

[MrBrittsBirds]

hi lovezebs they are getting on great the three chicks are 5-6 days old now , the mother is feeding them and im topping them up too . im planning on hand rearing them fully soon . if i remove them at day 9 to 10 how often do i have to feed them ?