Bad Egg?

KNG5 · Post by **KNG5** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:18 pm

My gouldians began laying their eggs on June 8. They have 6 eggs in their nest and 1 egg that is currently being layed on by Zebras. Anyway..when are they supposed to hatch? And I noticed that one of the eggs looks like a deep-yellow color..I'm not sure if they went to the bathroom on it or what but I cant really get a good look at it, since their nest is in a wicker basket and it's really high up...should I try to take it out?? They seem to have tolerated my nest checks pretty well so far.

Post by **Hilary** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:41 pm

They'll generally start hatching about 14 days after the birds started incubating, so if they're fertile they should start hatching in the next couple of days. I would recommend just sitting back and seeing what happens over the weekend.

KNG5 · Post by **KNG5** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 1:13 pm

So 2 of the zebras have hatched (Starting yesterday) but still no babies for the Goulds...I was sure that one was fertile, but now it's not exactly a bright red color inside...but the egg does look full. Could it have died in the shell?? As for the other 6, I haven't checked for their fertility...

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:44 pm

Give the full looking egg a few more days. If it doesn't hatch by the end of this month, and if you feel comfortable doing so, you can crack the egg open and see if anything inside developed or not. My guess is you'll find a partially developed chick that may have died in the shell, but as of today, it is possible the egg is still alive and may hatch soon.

KNG5 · Post by **KNG5** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:51 pm

I read on some websites that gouldian eggs can take up to 19 days to hatch. I'm still hopeful, because the parents have been very good incubators so far. They never leave that nest unattended.

KNG5 · Post by **KNG5** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 3:19 pm

So I opened the one Gouldian egg in the zebra nest after removing the one infertile zebra egg, and noticing that the gouldian egg had a crack in it. The gouldian egg had what looked to me like a completely formed baby in it, with a little bit of the yellow yolk sac, but it was dead. Poor thing... Any ideas on what went wrong? I hope all of the Gouldian eggs arent dead in shell, but time is definetly running out...

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 6:43 pm

Proper humidity is important when eggs are ready to hatch. Too little and the chick gets stuck in the egg and can't break out.

You might get a hygrometer to see where you are at in that regard. I believe 60% is recommended during incubation and slightly higher 2-3 days prior to hatch date. Providing your birds with a daily bath will help in this regard.

Also, too much handling can transfer oils/salt to the chick which can cause the embryo to die. ALWAYS wash and rinse your hands before touching the eggs, or use disposable gloves.