The hatching issue is a big concern for bird owners. When babies are not able to hatch out of the egg then they are going to die. If your budgie eggs are not hatching then you need to understand why eggs are not hatching.
Why is my Budgie Eggs not Hatching?
Some of the possible reasons for eggs not hatching are,
- If the eggs are Infertile then there is no chance of having a baby bird inside therefore it will never hatch.
- Humidity and temperature contribute a very immense role in incubating an egg. The ideal humidity level for an egg is 45% – 75% and the ideal temperature is 20 – 37 Celsius. If the temperature and humidity level are not feasible then the babies in the egg will not be able to grow.
- If your budgies are not keeping the eggs incubated then babies in the egg will be dead therefore you need to monitor the eggs.
- Mother budgies incubate eggs by sitting on them. Due to this, some mother budgie poops over the egg which makes a barricade over the eggshell. This barricade makes it difficult for the baby to crack the eggshell and die in the end.
Short Answer:
If you are concerned about your budgie eggs not hatching then it is important to understand the factors why eggs are not hatching. Some reasons are,
Infertile eggs,
Humidity and temperature effect
Eggs are not incubated by their mother
Mother budgie’s poop creates a barricade over the eggshell.
How Much Time Does it Take for a Budgie to Hatch?
If you wonder how much time is required for the egg to remain under incubation then let us inform you that egg fertility is confirmed after the third day as you can see a dot that represents an embryo.
This embryo keeps on developing and it takes approx. 21 days for a baby budgie to crack the egg and hatch out from it.
Budgie Egg Hatching Signs
There are several signs of egg hatching, some are mentioned below,
- You will start to notice some cracks on the eggshell after 19 days
- You will feel the tapping from inside if you hold the egg. This shows the baby is healthy and it can hatch out of it.
What to Do with Infertile Budgie Eggs?
Infertile eggs can be useful in 2 ways.
- Replace the Infertile eggs with fertile eggs and save lives
- Make eggshell powder and provide a calcium source for your birds
Replace the Infertile eggs with fertile eggs and save lives
If you have several birds in your aviary and some of the budgies have laid infertile eggs then you should not remove them instantly. You can replace the infertile with fertile eggs so that the mother budgie will incubate them.
This is to save the lives of fertile eggs. As some healthy budgies lay 7-8 eggs in a clutch which makes it difficult for them to incubate all eggs. These eggs will not get fertile if not incubated timely.
Make eggshell powder and provide a calcium source for your birds
Infertile eggs are a waste however it is an ideal calcium source that you can feed to your birds. We recommend bird owners to make eggshell powder and sprinkle it on the seed mix.
When to Remove Unhatched Budgie Eggs?
You need to monitor your budgie eggs with an egg candling torch to see if the eggs are fertile or not. Start checking the egg from day 6 which gives an accurate report.
If you notice that the egg is infertile then remove it. This saves your budgie from the hassle of incubating an infertile egg.
We recommend removing unhatched budgie eggs after 21 days and checking them with an egg candling torch. If you notice a live baby inside then hatch it yourself otherwise dispose of that egg as it has rotten.
Will Budgie Sit on Infertile Eggs?
Indeed, budgies will sit on infertile eggs. Budgies will be unaware of their infertility and they will naturally persist in incubating these eggs for the entire 21 day period and sometimes longer until it starts getting rot.
How do you Hatch Budgie Eggs at Home?
if you do not see the cracks on the shell then it is a big concern. Keep monitoring the eggshell until the 21st day otherwise you will have to crack the egg yourself. Follow the procedure below to crack the eggshell.
You will have to check the egg with an egg candling torch. Egg candling is a process by which you can view the inside of an egg. This is similar to ultrasound in humans.
When you view the egg with an egg candling torch, you will see a shallow part of the egg from where you need to crack it.
- Dab your finger in a drop of water and massage the eggshell to make it soft.
- You need to take the egg to a dark room and use the torch to view the shallow part.
- Mark the shallow part with a marker to avoid hurting the sensitive baby inside.
- Gently hold the egg from the opposite side of the shallow part.
- Pick a tweezer and gently crack it from the shallow part
- Remove it slowly so that you will not hurt the baby inside, keep a cotton bud to clean the baby’s skin from blood and other waste
- When you have cracked the shallow part, you will be able to see the baby inside.
- Gently crack the whole eggshell and take the baby outside.
You need to hand-feed the baby after you have taken the baby out of the egg as it needs some energy.
Please note: Do not try to crack the egg yourself if you are not trained enough to crack it. Take the egg to the nearest vet.
Parrot Egg Hatching Video
I need you to check this mesmerizing moment of my parrot’s baby hatching out in my hand. Look how these healthy babies crack their eggs and come into the world. Please have a look and subscribe to Featherbudz channel.
Conclusion
After reading this blog post, you must be able to understand why your budgie eggs are not hatching and how to handle this situation carefully. Just keep monitoring the eggs and your birds as it is heart-wrenching to see dead babies in eggshells.
If you would have other queries related to the hatching issue then let us know in the comment below or contact us by our email.
