The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[speckledhen]

Our phoebe built the usual nest on the joist that holds up our porch roof this year. She got off the first batch (thanks to the cat that chased off a big rat snake). And she was raising her second batch. She rarely gets two batches raised without snake interference, but this year, she was very lucky. They were very rowdy in the nest, seemed to grow faster than the first batch. I'd look up every time I walked to the steps to see them looking bigger and bigger. Then, they were all gone except one. And I found one had fallen onto the deck and I guess the cat got that one, too young to fly.

The very last one sat alone day after day, which seemed wrong. Mama kept coming back, encouraging it to fly off, and I guess bringing food to it, but it just stood there. Today, we decided to check to see if something was wrong. When Tom got up there, it tried to fly and seemed to be stuck. And it was. Something she'd made her nest with, thread or twine or something fibrous, had wrapped around the chick's leg just above the foot and all around the toes and it was tethered. We worked to cut it off the leg-it was so tough, I had to use cutters to get the twine severed-dripped some water in its beak and placed it back on the nest to rest and de-stress after its traumatic encounter with humans. It has been off the nest and sitting on the joist so it can maneuver a little bit. I hope it's not permanently injured and will fly away soon. Poor little phoebe.

 

[Leahs Mom]

So glad you figured it out!!!!!

 

[speckledhen]

So glad you figured it out!!!!!

Me, too! I love these sweet little eastern phoebes. They've nested on this house every year since we've been here, first starting over the basement door, then on the header for the porch after it was rebuilt.

 

[speckledhen]

Amanda laid another egg today. I cannot imagine how she does it, going on 12 years old and crippled, but she just won't quit.

 

[h2oratt]

My eggs have a crease in the shell. Is that caused by the heat here?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My eggs have a crease in the shell. Is that caused by the heat here?

Where? Around the middle? Ends?

 

[1muttsfan]

Phoebes are lovely, I raised some orphans last summer, kept them on the screened in porch. Thank goodness for fish flies (aka mayflies, but we get them in July up here), I picked hundreds of them off the Marina building.

 

[h2oratt]

Where? Around the middle? Ends?

Middle or quarter down the egg.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Middle or quarter down the egg.

I believe they are called body check eggs and can be caused by stress, older hens, or lighting during periods when it should be dark.

Another cause can be eggs backing up or getting bumped by the next egg while in the shell gland. In general they are nothing to worry about. Sometimes you may see them repeatedly for a bit and than it resolves, and sometimes a hen will lay them always with a mid line wrinkle or end wrinkle, and it's just what she does.

 

[h2oratt]

I believe they are called body check eggs and can be caused by stress, older hens, or lighting during periods when it should be dark.

Another cause can be eggs backing up or getting bumped by the next egg while in the shell gland. In general they are nothing to worry about. Sometimes you may see them repeatedly for a bit and than it resolves, and sometimes a hen will lay them always with a mid line wrinkle or end wrinkle, and it's just what she does.

Interesting. It is prob age and heat stress. They are only three years old but they were from a hatchery.