How does an incubating pair decide when to abandon eggs ?

[608duj]

Is it hardwired by time ( I am tired of doing this --outtahere ) or can they feel the embryonic pulse/movement in the eggs as they are incubating and decide to stick with it ?

It would matter if you are attempting to foster eggs that were off in timing. I have 6 young Owl pairs that have started to lay haphazardly, not really nesting just dropping an egg every once in a while. I have been collecting them and putting them in the Lyon incubator. At first all were infertile. Then there were 2 fertile,
one hatched and just fledged under a Society pair that will raise anything. Now there are 4 fertile, put 2 under a Zebra pair and the other 2 still in incubator. I hesitate to give the Zebs all four as they had been on clear eggs for a while and if they are hardwired to abandon at a certain time (which I do not know ) I would lose them all instead of just the two. Four more Owl eggs collected and set in the Lyon today.

[Fraza]

608duj sounds like ur finding parents for them how come you can give the society pair some more to be certain because I don’t think zebras are very trusting

And it’s a nice little fledgling if you keep it with the society whilst they bring up anothe chick aswell then this fledgling might learn how to raise