Canaries help

[Mahmood Tahery]

Hi I have a pair of canaries. The hen layed 2 eggs in her clutch. And she has been incubating them since she laid the first egg.
But today sadly I found one of the eggs( 1st egg she laid) down the the bottom of the cage. And the second one is under her incubating it.
(She laid the first egg on the fifth and the 2nd in the sixth of this month)
What does this mean.
FYI the egg was broken so I couldn't return it back.

[5borders]

No problem, this all sounds normal. Canaries start laying obviously after mating, egg laying starts about 5-8 days after. In a normal clutch the hen will lay one egg each day until the whole clutch is complete. Average number of clutches can range from 3 to 6, usually 4 eggs. Most hens do not start sitting until after the second egg is laid. It is very common for eggs to be knocked out of the nest. This can be from a startled hen or the male bothering her. She will turn the eggs from 1 to 3 times a day, this must occur for the chicks to survive to hatching. This turning in young hens, as well as some being a little skiddish can cause eggs to be knocked out. Most breeders start counting from the day they see the hen is sitting. From that day, if they are fertile and all goes well, the young will hatch on day 13 or 14. If it goes to much past that remove the eggs and nest and let her rest. If you want babies, replace a fresh nest a week later. Do not hover, if your hen is new or skiddish she will not sit tight and will continually jump off the nest. This causes many problems. Watch from a far if you must and let nature take its course. Obviously do all the normal chore things, feeding, changing water, vacuming or sweeping the floor, any normal day to day thing she is used to. The routine around her should not change. Good Luck

[Mahmood Tahery]

Thanx for your reply, but I found out that both of my canary eggs are infertile I tried candling and there was a large air sac which means the moisture lrft the egg thus making the egg infertile.
I will give her time until the 14th day remove the egg plus the nest. Wait a week and restart the process again.

[5borders]

If you know they are infertile go ahead and remove everything now. No big deal she will adjust. The sooner she is moving around and being active the better it will be for her physically. Remember, breeding taxes the hens system heavily in respect to calcium. She must get enough at least three times a week during this period. This will give her body what it needs as the calcium is sucked up being used for egg formation. I prefer the liquid kind added to the drinking water. This is easy to do and makes she she is getting it. Good types are made in a poder form as well sprinkled over their food. Doing both during this time is ok, just don't over do the powdered kind. You do not want her getting way to much. Also a few drops of iodine in the drinking water every few days helps as well. On the days you do not give either of those put a few drops of apple cider vinager in her drinking water. This will help stabilize both her and the males intestinal tracts in regard to acidity. Both the vinegar and iodine will also keep the water cleaner and healthier during this time. You did not say where you lived so do remember, most birds are very close to moving into molt. Some soon some in July. Males come into breeding sooner than females thus if they are not feeding young the males also fall out of breeding shape early. I say that because he maybe out of condition already thus will never fertalize anything now. Three things; 1-remove the nest 2- take the male in hand and blow on the feathers, yes his private area. You should see what looks like a, well nit human but it will protrude very littel but feathers will be prsent all around. 3- Do the same to the hen. She should have a breeding patch. This is a small portion of her abdomin which will be clear of feathers and no protrusion. The hen will make more sense becuse if she is in breeding condition her abdomin will have a nickle sized pink skinned bald spot. The male will or should have feathers there and a little protusion. If you can not see these things or you can not tell at all, your pair is not in condition and don't bother breeding them. It is to late and let them go into the molt. This will be much healthier and safer for them. All you will do if you keep trying is tax her physically and get nothing but clear eggs and a taxed hen. All of hat I said can be investigated on the internet in may areas under breeding canaries, also sexing canaries. Good Luck