Are my parakeet eggs infertile? [URGENT]

[ofy]

Today I candled the eggs for the first time. One of the eggs has hit the 18 day mark today, but still hasn't hatched so far; Google said it can take 18-21 days, but the question here is... are they all infertile? I don't see any veins or anything, but perhaps you guys can tell me.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Each of those eggs are a different age, though. Parakeets have a staggered hatch. If one in the nest is at day 18, others could be quite a bit younger! So keep that in mind when I say, all but *maybe* the last one look clear to me(infertile) are these eggs in an incubator or are they under momma hen? If under MH, in the future just leave them be unless you are sure they are not viable. Parrot eggs are way more delicate than poultry eggs, and candling eggs under a hen is something I have never done unless it is several days past the last chick hatching and I want to be sure before tossing a dud egg.




Update: I think the last one may be clear too. Sorry. Are these eggs from your birds?

 

[ofy]

Yea, they are mine - and the female parakeet has been taking care of them.

This is the one that is 18 days old:

Also, I forgot to mention - but they are first time parents. They are both 2 and a quarter years old, so they should be more than ready to breed and provide proper fertile eggs.

By the way, so are you saying the last one in infertile? The one with the poop on it.

 

[bug_n_flock]

I think they all are. At 18 days the egg should be solidly (or nearly so) dark except for the air cell. Yours are yellow and clear. I still would give it a bit longer and next time leave the eggs alone even at day 18. The shells can break surprisingly easy, and how awful would you feel if out fell a nearly formed chick? Also humidity is very important for the hatch process, and if the eggs have begun it and you fool with them so the y begin to dry out, that inner membrane on the egg shell can sort of shrinkwrap them in the shell. Eggs(and parrot eggs in particular) are really quite delicate and usually best left with mom.

 

[itzjbean]

None of them look fertile to me. I actually just went through this about a month ago with my pair so I know very well what infertile eggs look like.

I would toss them. Some people may suggest waiting but clearly nothing is there -- they would be hatched by now as you said. I mean if you want to just wait it out you can but at this point looks like they are not viable. You can remove them and crack them open to see inside for sure if you want, and let them try laying again, but be sure you are supplementing the pair with a good varied diet including calcium so the hen can regenerate and keep nutrient levels where they should be.They should not be allowed over 2 clutches at a time.

 

[ofy]

Only one of them is 18 days. The youngest one is only 10 days old - and also, what do you guys mean when you say that I should adjust the humidity? I just have the cage in the living room and their nestbox hooked up to the cage.

 

[ofy]

Another thing I should mention is that the eggs are growing daily in their size. Could this mean that there is a living embryo in there rather than just yolk?

 

[bug_n_flock]

You mean they are gaining weight? What do you mean by "growing"? As the chick inside the egg develops, the egg will actually lose weight, believe it or not.


Eta: inside the nest box is a higher humidity than outside. Which means when you remove the eggs from the nest box, the humidity around them drops to whatever it is inside your house. If a chick has already entered the stage of hatching where they have broken through the inner shell membrane, this could be very bad, as that membrane gets very hard and shrinks as it dries. You cannot always tell if this membrane has been broken, the chick breaks through the membrane and into the air cell to breathe, rest, and finish absorbing the yolk sac before it breaks through the shell, and then "unzips" the egg and hatches out. Hatching is very tough business, and very much a good idea to learn all you can about the hatch process before embarking on a breeding adventure.

 

[ofy]

The eggs are getting bigger every day in size, compared to how small they were when it was hatched - could this not mean that there is a living embryo in there and such not yolk?

And to mention, all the eggs have a pink-ish tone.

 

[ofy]

Someone please help

 

[bug_n_flock]

Why do you think the eggs are growing in size every day? This is not something that typically occurs. I really do suggest you do some reading on the reproductive process of birds before attempting for your birds to lay a second clutch.