FINCHforum

My fourth society baby hatched on 5/19 and all appear to be doing well. There are still 3 extra eggs inside the nest that aren't going to hatch. Should I remove them? I'd hate for them to get broken and start smelling but I don't want to disrupt them unnecessarily.

If I take the nest out of the cage to remove the eggs will this cause them to abandon their babies? Should I wait longer? I don't think there's much chance they'll abandon based on what everyone here says about societies and babies but I'd hate to cause problems when I don't have to.

Millenia

Millenia
I left infertile eggs with mine for several weeks and they did just fine. This last time I removed them since nine babies plus eggs would be a bit crowded, and they tolerated it just as well. If your birds are jumpy or first-time parents, it is probably best to just leave them be. Broken eggs generally dry up and don't stink.

Millenia

Hi,

I would leave well enough alone.
The eggs and chicks will be fine. If the parents want the eggs out, they will toss them.

The eggs serve to keep the chicks from being squished, and/or becoming splay legged under the weight of bot parents and larger siblings.
Also they work as hot water bottles, retaining heat, and keeping the chicks warm.