When should I transfer eggs to fosters?

[JumaBleu]

I have taken up breeding for hobby and I think I have everything right. My Cordon Bleu's have layed eggs and are sitting now. They hop around the cage a bit then return to sitting. Does anyone know how long can they be off the eggs without killing the fetus? Minutes? Hours???

[Domenic]

Depending on the temperature eggs can go for a couple hours unincubated, sometimes less, sometimes longer.

I love your avatar, did you make that yourself?

[JumaBleu]

Thanks, that makes me feel much better. It might take a few tries to get it right, especially with CBs. I found the pic online, it is a painting I found on http://www.graceswanson.com I have to give her credit, she has some nice paintings, of Zebra Finches too.

[ac12]

Are your fosters sitting on fake eggs and ready to take eggs?
Mine need to be preped to sit on eggs.

[JumaBleu]

I've ordered fake eggs, they should come any day. I really wanted to let them try raising a couple of clutches and if they can't do it, I will use my Societies. I put a dud in with the Societies just to try them out and they did well, sat on it for a bit. I only had one dud, will wait for the plastic ones.

I heard you add one egg a day then when they are sitting on them you do the switch-a-roo just before bed time - if the timing is right they will hopefully sit tight.

Have I got it right?

[Sally]

Good luck with the CBs. I am breeding them now, and they can be difficult. If you can get them eating eggfood, that is a good substitute for the extra protein they need when feeding babies. When in the wild, they feed almost exclusively insects for at least the first week, so we have to provide them with a high-protein diet. Many of them will not do well unless they have live food. In that case, you can give them mini mealworms. If you don't want to go the live food route, try Hikari's freeze-dried bloodworms, found in the fish section of pet shops. You can sprinkle them on top of the eggfood, but I would for sure try to get them eating eggfood.

I have a pair feeding four babies right now, their second clutch without live food. This pair has already raised their first clutch with no live food, this is the third year to try to get them to raise--they always tossed in the past. I think the secret is the eggfood, which they devour, and never letting the eggfood dish be empty. I have to refill at least twice a day, after the initial morning offering. Another pair just raised two in their first clutch ever. Yet two other pairs just tossed all their babies.

And I would definitely let them try first before switching to fosters--not all Societies will raise CBs, because the chicks are tiny, fuzzy, and very quiet at first, compared to Society chicks that are bigger, naked, and noisy. Plus, they can never learn to be parents if they aren't allowed the chance. Good luck with them. And I am going to move this topic to Breeding, since that is what it seems to be about.

[JumaBleu]

I tried them with tiny meal worms and they would not even look at them. Perhaps they only want live food when they are breeding?

Egg food, well I've looked around and haven't found a recipe that made sense. However I know I have 13-14 days to figure that one out. The recipes I've seen require way too many ingredients and there must be a simple recipe. Tomorrow I will browse around the forums.

[ac12]

I add 1 egg a day, at the same time the source bird is laying her eggs.
BUT because I have 3 males, sometimes I have to start the societies earlier. When they have not been sitting for a while, they sometimes need more time to switch from "carefree bachelor" to "foster parent."
The societies are not ready until they are SITTING on the fake eggs.
BUT sometimes the societies will not SIT on the fake eggs, but as soon as I put the real egg in the nest, they SIT. They seem to be able to recognize the difference between the fake and real eggs.

I swap out the eggs during the day, whenever I pull the eggs out of the source nest. When the source birds abandon their nest, I do it as soon as I realize they abandoned the nest, as sometimes they abandon in the middle of incubation.

[JumaBleu]

I tried giving them mashed hard boiled egg and she gobbled it right up. Funny she wouldn't look at it before, but now she is producing eggs. I have a cuttlebone in there for her, seeds, millet and celery leaves. Is this enough until the chicks hatch?

[ac12]

I also give them a veggi mix, of chopped up; dark green lettuce, chard, carrots, yams, brocolli tops. There are a lot more veggies that you can give, check the FIC link on the left. And there are a few veggi mix threads.

[Sally]

I tried them with tiny meal worms and they would not even look at them. Perhaps they only want live food when they are breeding?

Egg food, well I've looked around and haven't found a recipe that made sense. However I know I have 13-14 days to figure that one out. The recipes I've seen require way too many ingredients and there must be a simple recipe. Tomorrow I will browse around the forums.

If they don't want mealworms, count yourself lucky! I would only feed mealworms if I have to, prefer to not have to deal with them at all. Fresh eggfood will supply the protein they would get from mealworms, so if you can get them eating eggfood, you are way ahead of the game. Look around for an eggfood recipe you can deal with, and that your birds will eat, they don't have to be that complicated. It's just that the ones that take more ingredients are supplying more of the nutrition that they need.

[HoangQuan]

I add 1 egg a day, at the same time the source bird is laying her eggs.
BUT because I have 3 males, sometimes I have to start the societies earlier. When they have not been sitting for a while, they sometimes need more time to switch from "carefree bachelor" to "foster parent."
The societies are not ready until they are SITTING on the fake eggs.
BUT sometimes the societies will not SIT on the fake eggs, but as soon as I put the real egg in the nest, they SIT. They seem to be able to recognize the difference between the fake and real eggs.

I swap out the eggs during the day, whenever I pull the eggs out of the source nest. When the source birds abandon their nest, I do it as soon as I realize they abandoned the nest, as sometimes they abandon in the middle of incubation.

I found that infertiled eggs from the last clutches can be use as dummies as well, now I have a big collection of infertiled eggs of some species to use just in case

[ac12]

Hoang
Actually that is a good idea. Because the plastic eggs don't always look like the eggs that you will be putting in their nest. And when the egg looks different, the bird might react differently. My societies seem to be able to tell the difference between plastic eggs and real eggs.

[JumaBleu]

Good tips. If these eggs didnt hatch I would have tossed them. All's going great and they are sitting tight on three eggs. I'm expecting the fourth around lunch time. Funny though, I think when it gets dark outside they stop sitting. Don't know if its over night but it is long enough. Then by morning they are busy busy sitting tight again. Anyone ever experienced this?

[Domenic]

Oh yes. This happens all the time with birds that don't sleep in the nest. Once your birds become experienced the hen will learn to stay in overnight. The male never does, though I found with my male that he sometimes joined her in the nest at night.