Broken Eggs!!!!!!

[Zipman]

Hi all, I've got 2 pair of Crimson Finches that have been in breeding mode since early May, each time they build a nest and lay they seem to abandon the nests due to a broken egg, very frustrating with this happening 5-6 times each pair. They're getting all of the goodies in their diet Breeding Aid, Calcivet and plenty of grit etc. Any ideas of what the problem may be? I have a theory that the cold weather may be causing this with hens energy being put into surviving the night thus effecting eggs?

Any ideas or has someone had similar problems?

Zipman

[Zipman]

Forgot to mention that it's the birds first breeding season they were just colouring up when I bought them around 9-10 months ago.

Have another theory also and that is that we are feeding Mealworm as their livefood source and have read that they contain phytic acid that interferes with Calcium up take??? never had a problem before with other finches so not sure about this one.

Still banging my head against the wall with yet another nest abandoned today "not happy"!!!!!

[finches247]

I have only have cracked eggs when a mouse has got in the aviary and decide to suck the yolk out off the egg or when they have night frights

[Zipman]

I have only have cracked eggs when a mouse has got in the aviary and decide to suck the yolk out off the egg or when they have night frights

Definately not mice and not happening when birds have started incubating eggs there can be 4 good eggs and 1 cracked egg in a nest or as today 1 good egg and one cracked egg???

[Craig52]

Zipman,what type of nesting material are you using? and how do you know they have broken eggs?
Mine only use Emu feathers and they only nest in a gouldian nest box,out of the eight pr only one pr attempted to nest in the brush which failed so they renested in the box.
Their nests are so stuffed with emu feathers,it is impossible to inspect for anything without pulling it to bits so you need to record the date they start to sit(both cock and hen will have serverly bent tails)
Thirteen days incubation plus another 21-25 to fledge and even longer if the weather is cold and there is only enough room for one parent bird at a time and the hen sits at night until there is only enough room for the young and then their fed through the entrance hole,one by one.
I have just recently fledged 5 in one nest and as they don't return to the nest to roost i pulled it down to replace it,the nesting chamber was smaller than a tennis ball.
Sorry to waffle on but i think your nesting material may be the problem. Craig

[finches247]

Very strange.

Only other they like egg shell

Or a the eggs that are cracked have hatched chicks and are throwing the new chicks out of nest.How long are they incubating for ?

Are they with any other species could be annoyed by others

[Zipman]

Zipman,what type of nesting material are you using? and how do you know they have broken eggs?
Mine only use Emu feathers and they only nest in a gouldian nest box,out of the eight pr only one pr attempted to nest in the brush which failed so they renested in the box.
Their nests are so stuffed with emu feathers,it is impossible to inspect for anything without pulling it to bits so you need to record the date they start to sit(both cock and hen will have serverly bent tails)
Thirteen days incubation plus another 21-25 to fledge and even longer if the weather is cold and there is only enough room for one parent bird at a time and the hen sits at night until there is only enough room for the young and then their fed through the entrance hole,one by one.
I have just recently fledged 5 in one nest and as they don't return to the nest to roost i pulled it down to replace it,the nesting chamber was smaller than a tennis ball.
Sorry to waffle on but i think your nesting material may be the problem. Craig

Craig they've nested in brush and nesting boxes with same problem, we also use Emu feathers & Chicken feathers and dried grasses, I'm really at a loss as to why this is happening?

[Zipman]

Very strange.

Only other they like egg shell

Or a the eggs that are cracked have hatched chicks and are throwing the new chicks out of nest.How long are they incubating for ?

Are they with any other species could be annoyed by others

They're not eating eggs or shell, todays nest had one egg that must have had a hairline crack and had stuck to feathers in nesting material on other occasions 1 egg was broken and contents had leaked into the nest while all other eggs in nest were fine?.

No incubation of eggs they don't seem to get a chance to do so, for example the nest that was abandoned today has only just had 2 eggs laid in it over the past few days?

They are housed seperately without any other finches in adjoining aviaries, they do tend to have some pretty decent brawls through the wire but nesting sites are out of view of each other.

[finchbreeder]

How often do you inspect the nests??
LML

[Zipman]

How often do you inspect the nests??
LML

I leave them be and don't inspect nests.