• How long did you leave the eggs before you broke them open??
• You have to be very generous with your timings with birds eggs.
• I have a friend (Club member) who's Umbrella laid eggs and she was ready for tossing the eggs into the bin as
  she thought they were overdue but something made her put the egg in the incubator
  • - 2 weeks later a chick emerged (2 weeks overdue).
     
• More often than not the bigger birds don't start to sit until after the 3rd egg is laid
• - so if the incubation period is 28 days then you must add 6 days to this if the bird lays every 3rd day,
  which most parrots tend to do.
• The other eggs continue to develop inside the hen until she lays them, so that they are not always hatched
  3 days apart (some may hatch just 2 days apart).
• they tend to catch up with each other as they hatch, so they are not so different in size as they grow and develop.
   
• So if the first egg was laid 1st June and you put it in an Incubator it would poss hatch approx 28th June
  (28 days normal incubation period)
• but if you left it with the hen and she didn't start to incubate until the 3rd egg was laid, then the first egg may not hatch until approx 4th July [28 + 6 = 34days]
   
• - sometimes later if the bird hasn't sat as tightly as she might have done and the eggs have had periods of chilling.
   
• Getting back to the BLOOD RING - this shows that the egg has been fertilised - so your cock bird is fertile but how fertile could be the question.
• He may have a low sperm count or you may have Vent-feather problems or any of the other problems I have outlined below:
  
• Another reason could be privacy
  • - i.e. are other birds close-by so they feel threatened, so maybe don't mate freely, happily or may start but not finish due to interruptions - so mating isn't successful.
     
• Did she sit the eggs tightly or was she on and off the nest quite a bit, say if there were noises etc and she came
  out to investigate and maybe stayed off for a short while?
  • If so, the eggs could have chilled and the embryo may have started to form then chilled and died.
     
• Has she got access to bathing facilities - they regulate the humidity of the eggs themselves (some inner instinct) but if no water is available then it may be difficult, esp. in hot, dry conditions.
  
• Is their Aviary private and secluded and does she feel secure in the nestbox?
  • You could put Leylandii branches to screen the box if necessary.
  • (close enough to screen but not too close to make access/flight/landing difficult.)
     
• Also, if they have ruffled vent feathers (esp. the hen) then the sperm may not be getting into the hen and could
  get caught up on the feathers and that's why the eggs are clear or not being fertilised properly
  
• Are your perches of the right diameter i.e. wide enough, so the birds foot fits 1/2 way round the perch
  •  (if the foot fits all the way round then the perch is too narrow)
• is the perch stable i.e. not "rocky" + not slippery, so she can get a good grip while they are mating.
• You could also put another perch of similar diameter 4 - 6" away from the first and a couple of inches higher up -
  • some hens (esp. A.greys) like to lean forward and grip the upper branch with their beaks while they are mating - this makes success more viable, as they are more stable and secure.
    
• I had a pair of Birds that laid 13 eggs last year in 2 rounds and only one was fertile!!
• This year I trimmed both cock and hens vent feathers a month before they were due to lay
  • - She laid 5 eggs in her first round - every one was fertile!
     
• Also make sure they are wormed at the end of the breeding season and again about a month before she's due
   to lay - next spring (all notes and info on worming on website in Illness and injuries section)

• 4 - 6 weeks before the first eggs are due to be laid - start to "up" the Protein levels
• I personally feed cooked, shredded chicken (you can buy cooked frozen chicken strips from Aldi £1:99
• - I cook a couple of small strips per pair of birds, in the microwave with frozen cooked sweetcorn and peas in boiling water then add other shredded veg. etc., once you have drained and cooled the mix.
• I also add a few wholemeal breadcrumbs to the mix too.
• I add Daily Essentials 3 (follow the tub for quantities) to the mix - do NOT over supplement tho.
  • - this can do more harm than good.
    
• I used a calcium supplement this year but lived to regret it, as I lost some fully formed, ready to hatch  chicks,
  as it can make the eggshell and membranes too tough for the chicks to internally and externally pip and hatch
  • - they died trying to get out of the shell.
• - if your diet is good you shouldn't need a calcium supplement.
• - If you did use it you would have to make very sure you used it very sparingly and follow the instructions on tub.
• I personally would NEVER use it again prior to the hen laying the eggs for the above reason
• but would use it AFTER the bird had finished laying to replenish calcium used in the formation of the eggs
  .
  (Before I get lots of you disagreeing with me over Calcium - this is only my personal feelings and experiences)!!
  
• As with humans the birds need to be "lean mean machines" - so carrying excess weight is never a good idea
•  how big is your Aviary/flight to make sure they get enough exercise?
   
• Sunflower as you know is not a good seed for any bird as it is very oily and very fattening - so feed in moderation.
• Birds love sunflowers and would eat them in preference to most other seeds - a bit like a kid with sweets!
• A small amount of Hemp seed also can be added to their seed mix - helps stimulate breeding.

- Only do this once they have stopped Breeding

• - gradually cut down their seed on a daily basis over a 10 day period - feed a little less every day.
• on the last (10th) day give them no seed at all just make sure they have water and nothing else
• - the following day start introducing SMALL amounts of the foods YOU want them to eat
  • i.e. soaked/sprouting pulses mixed with a very small amount of seed + fruit and veg
• - only increase the amounts of seed per day, if they eat the pulses and fruit - this way you are getting them to eat the pulses and fruit and develop a taste for them out of hunger.
• It's not as cruel as it sounds, as in the wild they often struggle to find food during lean periods.
• So, you increase the amount of foods YOU want them to eat on a daily basis, as long as they are eating everything in their dishes.
• the day they leave some and don't "clean-up" - feed slightly less the next day until you find the level of food they need.
• You will need to monitor this on a daily basis.
• 2/3rds fruit/veg and pulses + 1/3 seed would be a good final ratio.
• Sprouting pulses have a higher protein value than just soaked pulses, as the seed has started to germinate.
  • (make sure you rinse thoroughly b4 feeding)
• Their feed dishes should be empty every day and they should be looking for food - I don't mean starve them,
  on the contrary - make sure what they eat is good for them and they have enough to maintain excellent health
  but if they are leaving food, reduce it slightly again until they eat all that is put in front of them
  • - just make sure that is good healthy foods.

• Make sure it's deep enough to be dark and not too spacious - birds like to feel confined - this makes them feel safe/secure
• It must be thick enough to be warm in cold weather and cool in warm weather.
• Never have it facing South - the sun will make it cooking in hot weather
• Have it in a shaded corner with shade/cover over that part of the roof to keep that area shaded and cool.
• Make sure the pop hole isn't too big - just big enough for the hen to fill with her head and shoulders sticking out
• Give them wood to chew to provide their own substrate bedding + Easiebed wood chip (if u wish)
• We tend to put or attach lumps of untreated soft wood inside the bottom of the box.
• Chewing helps stimulate them into breeding
• We also put a piece of soft wood across the entrance to the nestbox pophole prior to the breeding season, so they have to chew their way into the box - this also stimulates breeding.

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