No eggs!

[slwatson]

I have a beautiful pair of canaries...I separated them with a divider in the cage, waited until the male sang his song, watched him feed the female, and put a nest with the female. She started tidying it up, and then I put the male in with her. They've made a nice nest, and take turns sitting, but haven't laid any eggs. Am I missing something? The female has never sang, and the person I bought the pair from said it was a male and female. They are both so good as sitting and sharing duties in an empty nest!

I also have a second pair who are together, and the female lays eggs, but they never hatch. I'm guessing they're not fertile. I plan on separating them and starting their introduction process over, but how do I make sure she lays fertile eggs?

Thank you for your help!

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Hello.

Well, it seems that you are doing things properly.

- You know the female's age?

- How long have they been together?

There is always the possibility that the female is infertile.

About the other pair, first you must know if the eggs are not being fertilized or if the embryos are dying, in order to deal with the problem.

[slwatson]

Ricardo Ronsini

Hi! I'm not sure what they're ages are...I bought them from a really reputable canary breeder. Maybe the female isn't old enough?

I'll pull the eggs from the second pair and see what they have inside.

Thanks.

[Dave]

Patience is required! If she made a nest, she'll probably lay eggs soon. I've had hens make a nest several weeks before the first egg is laid.

Make sure they're getting about 14 hours of light, or more, per day. Don't decrease the number of light hours until late June.

If the cage side where the nest is located is exposed, hang a cloth over the cage side so the nest is a little bit protected from view. Hens seem to be less nervous if nest is less exposed.

For the pair that lays seemingly infertile eggs: The hen is frequently ready for a nest before the male is. Again, patience. Insure that the perches in that cage are secure and don't wobble, so the mating is more likely to be successful. If the cage sides are exposed, cover them so only the front of the cage is open to the room. Sometimes a male will be intimidated by other near-by males.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

slwatson

Yeah, if the female is under 8 months old she would be too young, and if she is more than 5 years old she would be considered too old, that is not a rule of course, but whe can expect laying problems with both ages.

As Dave mentioned, some females will play a litte game of sitting and waiting, before laying the first egg.

[slwatson]

Dave

Thanks Dave! I don't have the side with the nest covered, so I'll try that.

[slwatson]

Ricardo Ronsini

I feel like she's too young...thanks for your help.

[lovezebs]

slwatson

Any new developments in the nest???

[slwatson]

lovezebs

Still waiting....I honestly just separated them with the divider, took the nest out, and now I'm giving them seed with a breeding boost that's supposed to soak into the seed. I'll give an update in a couple of weeks!