Happy Pets

The Nest Box

The nest box should be wooden and have a partition in the middle to keep the eggs from rolling too much. It should be large; this is stressed for two reasons :

1. Both birds incubate the eggs and spend hours together in the box. They need room to move freely and turn the eggs.
2. The nest box will act as “nursery” for the chicks until they are old enough to leave it.

The box should have a 32 inch hole in the center and a perch outside to make access easier. In fact, everything should be done to make the nest box convenient and easily accessible. The female is especially cautious at this time. There must be no fear of entering or leaving it. If the box is too small and they both try to get inside, they may step on the eggs or roll them together and break them. They can be patched, either with clear fingernail polish or a piece of another egg, but usually by the time the damage is discovered, part of the fluid has been lost and the egg is useless. It is important to a large nest box, the ideal size being at least 16″ x 16″. The partition should mark off about half this area.

As soon as the nest box is placed in the cage, both birds will investigate, and begin scratching and chewing on it. It is necessary for the breeder to help them with material to lay the eggs on. Shavings, Pablum or some other soft material (but never cotton or cloth) should be placed about 1 inch deep on the floor. They will arrange this to their liking.

Copulation between the male and female continues right up until the time the egg is laid. However, two or three days before the first egg is laid, the female exhibits obvious signs of her pregnancy. There is a lump on the underside of her tail near the vent. Although the male continues with his lovemaking, and during the actual act of copulation will take longer, the female seems uninterested. Her tail feathers will become ragged from spending so much time in the box and arranging the material for the eggs. She often appears puffed up and she ruffles herself regularly. She assumes a more bloated and “hunched” position on the perch. Her breathing appears to rack her whole body.

During the entire nesting period she continues her normal pattern of bathing, often coming out of the nest box twice a day to bathe. The bath water should be at least room temperature as a guard against chilling and egg binding. She does this to keep the eggs moist.

On the days the eggs are laid, both birds will stay in the nest box together. At times one or the other will come out to eat. The female always visits the grit tray and calcium block. This procedure continues during the entire incubation period. Their schedule is so arranged that after all the eggs are laid, the male spends nearly all day on the eggs, and the female eats, bathes and enjoys flight and freedom. She will on occasion relieve him to eat and drink, and will sometimes sit with him, at which time they share the eggs. At night, however, the female sits and the male stands outside the box or locates himself very near the cage or nest box entrance.

A clutch of eggs varies from 4 to 8. The more eggs, the closer the female must be watched. With each egg she labors, sometimes the labor lasting as long as 10 hours. Her breathing becomes heavier, she appears more tired, and there will be a spasmodic twitching of the tail. At the actual time the egg is laid, she will back into a corner, her tail is propped on the side of the box and her head nearly rests on the floor. Here she strains for up to an hour. As soon as the egg is laid, she rolls it with her beak to the center of the box. Then she tucks it gently under her breast and the incubation begins. During the egg-laying process, the male sits on the already laid eggs. He continues to stay with her until she is rested and capable of setting on the whole clutch. The turning of the eggs is done, as described above. This is mostly done by the female and it is with genuine loving and gentle care that she rolls and turns the eggs, then once again tucks them carefully under her breast.

It would be reasonably accurate to say that the eggs are laid about every 48 to 52 hours—that is, every other day. Unless it is absolutely necessary, it is not wise to disturb the nest. Despite the fact that removing the eggs as they are laid, and replacing them with plastic eggs—returning the full clutch when the egg laying period is finished —will contribute to hatching the babies all at the same time, rather than every other day as they should, this procedure will keep the hen on the nest for at least another week. She may get tired and desert the nest before the incubation period is completed. When all the chicks hatch at once, this exerts a greater problem for feeding on the parents and they may neglect them completely. Instinct has a way of knowing when nature has been tampered with, and no matter how faithful to the eggs the mother is, these factors may contribute to her leaving the nest before the eggs have hatched, or before the chicks are capable of caring for themselves. Unless you have access to a commercial incubator, the eggs are best left strictly to the parents’ care.

During the last days of incubation, the eggs to be hatched first will be left to one side for a period of time each day. This may be to allow the chick to cool inside the shell, thus preparing it for its hatching. Also during the latter part of the incubation period of those eggs that have not yet hatched, the male spends more time in the nest box and often cares for the chicks at night, while the female sets on the remaining eggs.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 at 12:05 am and is filed under Birds, Cages. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.