Green cheek laid 9 so far and looks like more in her…is this safe?

[Conureloverforlife]

Hi there, Ok so I first discovered my Cricket had laid 2 eggs when one fell out of their sleeper. That was 21 days ago and so far she has laid a total of 9. I had to get rid of the one that fell, it was cracked very badly. I spoke to the previous owners and they told me that they have had a clutch before about 2 years ago, with only one surviving, because she wasn't taking good care of them. I see that she is taking very good care of them. I am just concerned because she laid 9 and I thought she was done but now It looks as though there is one more in there. Is this many dangerous for her to lay!

 

[Peeko]

I've read that 4-6 eggs is the average clutch size. I don't know if 9 would be dangerous, but until someone more knowledgeable posts, make sure you're giving her lots of cuttlebone for calcium if you aren't already! Good luck!

 

[MikeyTN]

Are they fertile? Some females are known to kept laying which is not a good thing as they're prone to egg binding and such. Be sure to provide plenty of supplements! You should let her rest after this batch!

 

[Conureloverforlife]

Thank you for your replies! Yes, some of them are fertile. I'm just concerned because I know 9 is not typical for a clutch. Does anyone know if I should separate them and if so, before or after they hatch?

 

[greencheekachick]

-wow! 9 eggs, that is a big clutch. I've read that some can lay up to ten eggs but very rare.Hopefully this last egg (if there is one) will be the last. Like everyone said make sure to provide plenty of calcium for her.
-Do you want babies? If so it sounds like you don't know how to hand feed, is that right?
So I would leave babies with the parents, unless absolutely necessay.
-Also, looks like she laid in a sleep hut? You should get a breeding box if you plan to let the eggs hatch. Just trasfer eggs to the nest box and the parents should folow and still care for the eggs.

 

[MikeyTN]

That's too many for her to incubate and you'll probably have a high fatality rate. In order to save them when they have so many is your gonna have to either have a backup pair to help with incubation or you need to incubate the eggs on your own. Hand feed chicks from day one which won't be fun to do. You know how to care for a day old chick right???

 

[Conureloverforlife]

Yes, I got a nesting box right away and that is where she spends all of her time except to come out to eat and drink. I'v thought about incubating, and hand feeding myself but she seems to be covering them and keeping them at a good temperature. And no I don't have any experience hand feeding. I'm doing as much research as possible.

 

[MikeyTN]

To care for a day old chick you'll need a brooder!!!! At the beginning after fully dried you can feed yogurt mixed with warm water. Do not feed it cold!!!!! Do not mix with hot water, or you'll kill off the good bacteria! Check back an hour later, the crop should be empty! Start preparing formula and you need to make it very watery! You do this by the hour around the clock the first 2 days of it's life then change to every two hours by day three to five then every 3hrs til 7 days old. Then time scheduled feeding at 7am, 12pm, 7pm, 12am.

Before you start I would suggest you finding someone local to show you as you can easily aspirate a baby chick if your not careful. Can't make food too hot or too cold. The brooder needs to be warm enough or it'll cause other issues. And more......

Breeding is not as easy as most seem to think!!!! If all that is too much, after this batch remove the nest box for good...

 

[greencheekachick]

-As long as the parents are doing their job (which sounds like they are) then you should be fine to leave them with the parents.
-Are there any babies yet?
-If all eggs do hatch, you will probably have to pull the older chicks to hand feed to help the younger ones. By the time the last chick hatches (if all hatch) the older siblings will already dwarf the younger ones and the older ones could crush their smaller,younger siblings. But as long as the babies (however many) seem to have a full crop whenever you check on them, then the parents are doing a good job and you shouldn't worry.
-Make sure their is lots of good food and plenty of fresh water to help the parents keep up with feeding their babies.

P.S. Keep researching and get prepared to hand feed just in case. Better to be prepared and nothing happens than to not and have something bad happen. Good luck and keep us posted!!

 

[Conureloverforlife]

Well, just as I thought there was another one. So now that makes a total of 10 that she laid as of yesterday. Lets hope that she is done!

 

[MikeyTN]

I find it hard for her to incubate 10 eggs, improper incubation can cause a lot of problem with embryo development. How many eggs are fertile so far??? She's a excessive egg layer I'm afraid and that can be a big problem.

 

[crimson]

birds can be so complicated, we love them dearly but you have to be prepared, especially when babies are involved.

10 eggs is way to much for any hen. her calcium level is probably near depletion. Unfortunately it can be difficult to stop.

I would candle the eggs and see which ones are fertile....your going to have to wait at least 7 days from the last egg laid to determine if they are fertile.

what most people don't realize, calcium is NOT ENOUGH, you must give them vitamin D3 for absorption.