Musks and funky eggs .

[mickw]

Noticed the hen has been out of the nest a lot the last 3 days and the boy is courting her again so thought I would check the nest and no eggs to be found either in the nest or in the suspended .... could the parents lift them out of the nest box or could they have eaten them ?

I assume they will breed again ...hopefully .

I checked my PC nest yesterday....two healthy chicks probably a week or so away from fledging.............but thats one less than there were 10 days ago .....no sign of the third chick anywhere .......I am not discounting that it may have been consumed

Nature doesnt always follow the instructions

[jusdeb]

Im guessing the eggs were eaten . The nest box is a basic Quarrion nest box only bigger and deeper . I also guess that the birds know what they are doing in cleaning out the box before more eggs are laid .

[VR1Ton]

Deb, I'd get a smaller nest box, I use a 7"x7"x12" with a 1 3/4-2" hole. These boxes are used for all the larger lorikeets, Scalies, Rainbows, Red-Collars & Green-Napes. If you use a sloping box, 6"x6"x18". Alot of Lorrikeets will dig nearly all of their nesting material out, & will coninue to do so even after laying, & roll the eggs around the bottom of the box breaking them, so a larger box means more room for the eggs to be moved around. To help overcome egg breakage, I put a large marble in with the eggs, wich seems to roll around with the eggs but also seems to stop them being broken.

Egg eating on the other hand, will quite often continue, so if this is the case, it may be better to move them on & start again.

[jusdeb]

Ok I do have a smaller box in the shed so Ill swap them over tomorrow if she hasn't laid again , they have both disappeared into the box again .

Thanks