He's a she!!!

[Rockford]

My conures, Hawkeye (15) a black-capped and Tyler (13) a green cheek, have been caged together for 13 years. I've always referred to them as "the boys." and after a few years of not seeing any breeding and no eggs, i was sure that I was right. I was wrong. Today I found an egg in the cage and I know it's Hawkeye's because she's sitting in the corner with her tail up and looks like she's working on a second egg. I'm hoping that none of the eggs she'll lay now will be fertile.

I'm just sharing the news here, I don't need advice on breeding, I know what I'm doing on that front. In the past I've bred PFLB's and 'tiels - on purpose, none of this surprise unexpected stuff.

 

[Kiwibird]

Sounds like "the boys" sure had a surprise for you! Amazing that after 13 years of not laying, she decided it was time. Is the egg fertile?

 

[veimar]

If they get babies it would be in interesting hybrid...

 

[RavensGryf]

What a huge surprise after that many years!!

 

[Rockford]

Sounds like "the boys" sure had a surprise for you! Amazing that after 13 years of not laying, she decided it was time. Is the egg fertile?

Don't know if it's fertile. I won't be checking it or any other eggs that may be coming just yet. In the past I'd wait until a week or so after the hen was done laying to candle the eggs.

 

[Rockford]

What a huge surprise after that many years!!

"Huge surprise" is an understatement.

 

[Robin]

Wow, keep us posted!

 

[Taw5106]

LOL, aren't the surprise eggs fun? I had a cockatiel and at two years she laid an egg. The entire time I thought she was a boy. I was so surprised but it was nice knowing she was a girl, but 13 years? WOW!!!!!

 

[Rockford]

This morning I found the egg broken. It's more of a relief than anything else and she doesn't seem to have another egg coming, so hopefully this is the end of it for now.

 

[Rockford]

Dang it. Sometime between noon and 2pm she laid another egg.

 

[RavensGryf]

Do you have any idea what it can be? Why now after that many years? I wonder what has changed? I understand you've bred birds (on purpose) before in the past.

 

[Rockford]

I have no idea what has changed to improve breeding conditions. They've been in the same cage for 5 or 6 years. It's in the same location next to the same cage with the same bird in it. Their diet is the same The lighting in the room is the same.

Things that have changed:
What times they get fed has been inconsistent over the last year.
I'm up with the lights on a couple hours later than I ever have been on a regular basis.
I started playing Barry White songs for them every night - not really.

 

[amjokai]

Bahahaha on the songs.... I wonder if the lights caused it? I hope it isn't fertile for you, but It would be interesting..... Are those two species that commonly hybridize? Strange... Maybe she just decided her clock was ticking.... and she was ready to commit....

 

[RavensGryf]

I was going to say it has to be the Barry White, until you said you were kidding :18:

Hm, strange... Maybe it's the longer lighting if you've never ever done that in the 13 years? Idk, I don't breed, so just a guess. I assume they can hybridize both being Pyrrhura genus. Keep us posted!

 

[Rockford]

The lighting is a shift in time, not extra time.

 

[ForteBebe]

Lol what a surprise. I would love to see the babies if there are any!

 

[Rockford]

She laid a second egg on Saturday and a third egg today, Tuesday. Just a little while ago I noticed that one of the eggs is broken. So that's 3 eggs so far and two of them have been broken. even if theses eggs are or were fertile, she's not sitting on them. In fact, she'll sit in the corner of the cage as if she were sitting on eggs, but the eggs are always elsewhere in the cage. If I move the eggs to the corner where she sits, she moves them out of her way before settling in.
I'd like to just remove them, but I don't want her to think that she needs to replace every egg I remove. I did remove the first broken egg, but now I'll just leave any broken eggs alone.

 

[Rockford]

She broke a third egg today. So if you are keep track she has laid 3 eggs and has broken three eggs.

 

[Rockford]

I thinks it's over. It's been 3 days since the last egg and she's been acting "normal" for the last couple of days. By normal I mean not like a hen sitting on eggs - she's more active and sits on perches with the gcc.

 

[RavensGryf]

That's good to hear she's going back to her old routine. Hopefully this was just a one time thing!