Urgent - to take egg or not to take egg?

[adrian]

These are parrots but any advice is welcome!

My pair is young, and this is only their second clutch. However they did not lay their first clutch with me, so I have no idea precisely what went on with it. In hindsight I should have asked more about it. I know they successfully had babies, but for all I know the breeder could have hatched them or even incubated them themselves.

As it stands I had two fertile eggs, one hatched in my incubator because of a complication with the hatch. The other is under them but has internally pipped. The thing is, it has also pipped. A lot. 99% of the pips under the air cell, where there are still veins. The baby is not peeping yet and I know, due to the fact that it just internally pipped today, that it is not ready to hatch. Prior to both eggs internally pipping, they externally pipped as well, below the air cell. I have no idea why. I theorized it was because of violent spasming that just accidentally lead to pipping. But this one is pipping a lot. And I am worried that he will hit a vein.

I have just thought about it, and is it possible that my parrots are still turning their eggs when they should have stopped? I've never seen an egg pip PRIOR to internal pipping, but these ones have. This one did twice. The baby that I hatched is doing well and I have a lot of experience in neonatal care. But preferably I'd like my pair to raise the baby, just because it's natural. But I am comfortable with incubating eggs and raising babies.

At this point, is it a good idea to take the egg and hatch it myself? I want to make sure no veins are ruptured and that it does not hatch prematurely. There are still a LOT of veins in there.

Any advice would be welcomed... But also, if I decide to go get the egg prior to getting any responses I will say so...

Ah I wish it hadn't come down to this. It truly is bizarre and something I have seen before.

 

[kstaven]

Having hatched everything from lovebirds, to cockatoos, to Hyacinth Macaws I would take it out. If it is an external shell fracture you can blame the parents for it. Likely a nail puncture. Learned a long time ago to blunt nails on all my breeders as soon as they show nesting behavior.

If you have an incubator running the extra humidity will keep the air sac from drying and shrinking which could easily keep the chick from internally pipping.

 

[kstaven]

I am assuming you are within a day or less from hatching the way you describe this.

 

[adrian]

Ah, to clarify, the baby has internally pipped but just did today--there are very big veins and I can tell from candling that he is not in hatching position as his beak is not against the shell. He is pipping, however, below the air cell in a cluster of large veins, and has done so at least four times in the past 6 hours. The other egg I took away quite soon after internal pipping partially because of the fact that he'd externally pipped too soon and there were some complications, such as bleeding. But this one has done it multiple times.

He should hatch Thursday or Friday at the latest but he is definitely not ready. The fact that they both pipped the shell prior to internally pipping concerns me as well because I have never seen it happen.

Also: thank you so much for replying.

 

[adrian]

One of my concerns is also that he may never get into the proper position if they are repeatedly turning him. Given the events, from the external pip even before they enter the air cell and to this rapid fire pipping in the incorrect position, am I right to think they have not ceased turning?

 

[kstaven]

The reversal and not turning into position is a function of lack of humidity, not one of the parents turning eggs. Bet mom doesn't thin her breast feathers or bathe when off the nest.

 

[adrian]

Well, I think I will take the egg. There is likely a lack of humidity, given that our climate is rather dry, but when I took the first egg it did not pip unusually after I took it -- just the one time before it internally pipped. This one has continued to do so. I did move the egg to an incubator with a high humidity, about 60-65% as I usually hatch parrots at, so perhaps that is the cause, but it's either turning or humidity and at this point... I suppose I have to make the tough decision.

 

[kstaven]

You need a substrate below your nesting materials that will hold a small amount of moisture if this is a reoccurring problem. What breed? What is the nest box constructed from? What nesting material do you use?

 

[adrian]

I'm using aspen bedding, which is said to be dust free and without any added scents. It is nearly odourless and there are a few good inches of substrate at the bottom. The nest box is built from 1/2 inch wood, from what I understand pine (though I could be wrong). Pretty typical box. The air cells were not too large from my experience and their first baby was well hydrated and hatched perfectly, but then again he did hatch in my incubator. But from what I understand dehydrated chicks are dehydrated not because of hatching humidity being too low alone, but from incubation humidity being too low.

Oh, and they are nanday conures.

 

[kstaven]

With parrots I learned visual ID is not all that accurate. I weigh eggs and look for 16- 18 % weight drop in the egg.