Missing eggs

ksue · Foundation Member Joined: Apr 15, 2005 Posts: 270

Hi guys
Have been away for a week (neighbours have been feeding birds)....when I left the kakarikis had 7 eggs and now I can only see 5.........does anyone have any ideas or had this happen bfore.........also my birds are kept inside

sarah87 · Snr Member Joined: Apr 18, 2006 Posts: 34

hi

just double cheak there not burried under the sawdust/nest matterial other than that it could be that the birds have eaten them or the neighbours have stolen them hope this helps

sarah

Kaka-riki · Site Admin Joined: May 30, 2005 Posts: 363

Kellie,
The eggs may just be buried but if they have been broken and eaten by the parents you may have a problem on your hands. Once a pair starts smashing the eggs it can very quickly become a bad habit and very hard to stop. If more eggs disappear it might be worth removing the box and giving the birds a break before putting the box back in. It is difficult to second guess what may have happened in your absence but my guess is that if the birds have destroyed the 2 eggs they will probably continue and destroy the others also. We have (in the past) removed eggs and replaced them with small plastic replicas until the birds learn to sit tight and not destroy the eggs.

ksue · Foundation Member Joined: Apr 15, 2005 Posts: 270

I have had a very very quick dig around the outsides and they are not there....I dont want to disturb them too much i will see how things are tomorrow..........if they had eaten or broken them wouldnt there be a bit of a mess.....i see no sign of shell or mess......it is very perplexing

Kaka-riki · Site Admin Joined: May 30, 2005 Posts: 363

If there is no sign of the eggs I would suggest they have been eaten. The whole egg is usually consumed. If they are accidentally broken you would find the remains. Kakariki will eat their eggs for a number of reasons. It could be due to a lack of calcium (which I doubt as you wrote in an earlier post that they are getting sufficient) or it may also be due to hunger. The smallest of changes to diet and feeding times for birds that are breeding can sometimes be enough to upset the balance. Keep an eye on the remaining eggs and try to keep the birds on their set routine and hopefully everyting will be okay.

Peter · Foundation Member Joined: Oct 15, 2004 Posts: 599

Usually it is the young cock bird who is playing football with the eggs. He is not used to see these weird marbles in the nest. It belongs to the learning process. Most likely they are burried.

Their is a trick if you are dealing with egg eaters. Make 2 small holes in an unfertile egg. One on the top and one on the bottom. Remove the content by blowing on one side. After that fill the egg with mustard and coat the holes with transparent nail polish.
Once eaten from this the bird is not thirsty for more.