breeding congo grays

[southern newbee]

Hi all I'm new to this site. I have a pair of congo grays. They have had 2 clutches for their last owner, almost 2 years ago. After owning them for 1 month I had 2 eggs. Not knowing to leave them alone my son kept looking in the box. The eggs did not hatch, I took them out on Christmas. Today I found a egg on the bottom of the cage. I bought a mini cam, does anone know were in the breeding box I should put it? Any help would be very welcome, THANKS

 

[L Greer]

If you put it back in the box they should lay on it. You DO NOT want to touch the egg with your bare hands. The oils in our skin will clog the pores of the egg and it will kill the egg. The egg needs to not only be kept warm by the hen but it also need the moisture off her body and she will rotate it. After 7 days you can candle the egg. You can do it with a long wanded candler or a high powered flashlight to see if the egg is fertile. Don't touch it with your hand just shine the light up close to the egg so you can see through it. if you see veins then it is fertile. If you do not then it is not. It will take about 29 days for them to lay and she will lay 3 to 5 eggs ( usually 3) every three days. If this egg is not fertile ( not sure when she layed it ) she may lay more. If you said that she layed it the other day... I would wait and see if she lays more. If she does and they are not fertile I would pull the eggs and box and give them a rest. Remove the box from the room and don't let them see it. Egg laying is stressful and you will need to make sure you give them calcium. I used to breed mine no more than once per year. I know some breeders that breed more often but I personally don't think thats good. I think every year to year and a half is good. Have you ever hand raised parrots? If not... it is work... lots of time involved.
One other thing... your box should be about 14" x 14 x 24" long with an inside ladder. Also have approx 5" of PINE shavings in the bottom of the box.
good luck!

 

[L Greer]

I just re-read your post... are you talking about putting a mini cam in the box? I would suggest that you do not. If you check the box once a day... you should not have any problems. Try and do it when they are not in the box. It is best to have a hatch on the back side of the box so you can look down in and then close it. Also did they have two fertile clutches with the last owner?

 

[Riley's mom]

Sometimes when I have gotten a pair of birds, it has taken quite a long time for them to settle in and actually start laying again. I had one pair, that I knew for a fact, had beautiful babies, did not produce for a year. Then she laid 3 eggs and after a few days, tossed one of them out of the box. I took it out and candled in, and it looked good so I put it back in and it hatched also. Got 3 beautiful little babies. Sometimes they are a mystery.