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Re: Eggs and unweaned chicks-best laid plans
Posted by jill on 10/12/05

rowena,
it may sound like an easy thing to remove the nest box when the
next clutch leaves...but sounds like you will be in the same
perdicament i have been in recently. my female laid her first
clutch....4 out of 7 hatched. by the time the last two started
to get feathers she was already laying eggs again. i thought
ok...raise these and out comes the box. not in her plans
obviously...5 out of 7 hatched this time and while the last two
were still too yound to leave the box ...you guessed it....more
eggs. the only way to break the cycle is to get rid of the eggs
or give them to another female currently on eggs....hard thing
sometimes...jill

On 10/11/05, Rowena wrote:
> On 10/11/05, Kitty.J wrote:
>> On 10/10/05, Rowena wrote:
>>> Hi all. Quick question - I hope-... Keets doing a great
>>> job of raising/feeding the two chicks that hatched, now 31
>>> and 36 days old. Still in the nest box, both still
>>> feathering up, not quite ready to leave the box yet. Mom
>>> has gone and laid another two eggs in with the chicks.
>>> Dad seems to be taking over the feedings. Do I need to
>>> remove the eggs (and any more that are laid) untill the
>>> chicks are weaned? Will mom resume helping with the
>>> feedings? Or has she decided enough is enough with this
>>> clutch? Oh, and is this any where normal? Thanks Rowena
>>
>> Usually the females will stop feeding the young when the
>> young are near fledging its helps the young leave the box on
>> their own andye sshe'll start laying eggs, if she attacks
>> the young then you should take the eggs away, but remember
>> this might make the female lay more eggs
>
> Thanks Kitty, I'll keep an eye on her. This is her second
> clutch with me, she didn't do this with the first clutch. I
> know the oldest chick is probably ready, but I worry about the
> second, he's still getting in his "pins". If these eggs are
> viable (see earlier post about "half the eggs"), I'm going to
> pull the nest box for a few months after these hatch. Not
into
> breeding for resale, so don't need bunches of babies. Just
> love having keets around. Thanks again, Rowena

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Eggs and unweaned chicks, 10/10/05, by Rowena.
• Re: Eggs and unweaned chicks, 10/11/05, by Kitty.J.
• Re: Eggs and unweaned chicks-Kitty J., 10/11/05, by Rowena.
• Re: Eggs and unweaned chicks-best laid plans, 10/12/05, by jill.
• Re: Eggs and unweaned chicks-best laid plans, 10/12/05, by Rowena.
• Re: Eggs and unweaned chicks, 10/13/05, by Jeff.