Extreme heat in Australia kills eggs

[finchman101]

Currently we are experiencing some extreme heat here in Australia, we have had around 4-5 consecutive days above 40 degrees Celsius with temperatures at night reaching an uncomfortable 25 degrees Celsius. Before this heat we had had perfect conditions for the gouldians and they had started breeding and I thought things were off to a great start however around a week into most of them laying eggs and most being fertile I have lost most if not all fertile eggs (around 20-30). I do my best to keep them cool during the day by lightly spraying them with water but they have abandoned the nests and sit on the bottom of the aviaries where it is a lot cooler. Unfortunately we still have another 2 or so days of this weather until it goes back to the low 30's early next week. I really hope the birds have some time to recover until they can get back into the breeding in the later summer/autumn. Anyways thanks for listening and if there's any advice I could take from this it'd be greatly appreciated.

[monotwine]

Shame sorry for you and your birds. It must be extremely uncomfortable for avian and human. There is little you can do except provide shade / cooling and little to no disturbance to prevent panic and overheating. I know many Aussie use a sheet / material which they attach to the side of their aviary at an angle. The material provides shade and wetting it down helps cool the close environment especially if there is air movement, but with such heat that would be a short term solution. The material would probably dry before you finish wetting it.

I suppose you just have to accept the loss of the eggs, but be happy you still have the parents to breed later.

[debbie276]

So sorry
Sending well wishes for success after the heat subsides.

[Sally]

I had heard on the news about the extreme heat in Australia. It must be causing problems for many breeders, since most of them work with outside aviaries. So sorry for your loss, and I hope this heat wave breaks soon.

[finchman101]

Thanks guys, I hope they get through it, I just can't imagine how hard it must be in some parts of Australia that have been in drought for 18 months where farmers are forced to put down their cattle

[lovezebs]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Weather can certainly be a blessing or a curse. This past summer, we had flooding to contend with , and the begining of this winter we had crazy cold and way too much snow. The last few days it has warmed up to +7c. So now everything is melting during the day and freezing over night, so we have major ice problems to deal with. People slipping, falling and breaking bones. Not fun. Crazy weather world over.