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Breeding Log for May 2016
Entry #1:
March Overview
Back in March was when Baioretto and Shehai laid their first clutch together. This was also the first time that I bred them. Their first two eggs were found damaged, though I wasn't able to determine whether they were damaged by accident or on purpose by either parent. Whether these damages could have been prevented on my part somehow, I'm also unsure. Their third egg was presumed infertile, but the embryo could have died early on due to a number of causes. There really wasn't a way to know for certain.
Shehai was also behaving strangely during this time. She wouldn't brood her eggs much, and would spend a lot of her time outside of the nestbox with Baioretto. This behavior is unusual for a nesting female. It raised a lot of questions that I really couldn't answer due to not knowing her history. Both Shehai and Baioretto were bought from pet stores and not from a breeder. Shehai was already at least a year old when I bought her from Petland, so she most likely was previously owned and could have possibly been bred before.
If you'd like to read my notes from back in March, you can visit my breeding log for March here.
May 06 at 3:35pm
May 09 at 1:10pm
May 10 at 2:25pm
May 12 at 5:50pm
May 14 at 5:40pm
Entry #2:
Successful Second Clutch
I didn't want to continue with this breeding log until I was certain that Baioretto and Shehai laid a successful second clutch resulting in fertile eggs. Shehai laid 5 eggs in total, with the first two eggs being infertile. The last 3 eggs are fertile, and chances are high that the chicks will hatch.
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I last candled the eggs yesterday night, and saw movement in each of them. Egg #3 was laid on May 10th, and is expected to hatch on the 28th at the earliest. Based on an 18 to 21 day incubation period, Egg #3 can hatch anywhere from the 28th to 31st. Egg #5 was laid on the 14th. Based on an 18 to 21 day incubation period, this last egg should hatch anywhere from June 1st to the 4th.
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Even though the chicks inside of the three remaining eggs are alive and moving around, there's still a chance that they won't hatch. At any point, a chick can die in-shell. However, most in-shell deaths occur during the first week of incubation or during the time that the chick is trying to hatch. If the chick becomes too weak during the time that it is trying to hatch, it could suffocate inside of the egg before making it out.
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The plan for now is to not disturb the nestbox until the 27th. I'll candle Egg #3 then to check if the chick is still alive. I'll also be able to tell if it is fully developed and about ready to hatch.
So for now, expect another update closer to the hatching period for Egg #3.
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