only 1 BB egg hatched – 4 eggs remaining after 2 days

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  • #8446
    Carol – Mid-Mo.
    Participant

      Judy, thanks for your reply. I am very sure this is same papa & mama as 1st brood, as they have been with me several years and all through the winter seasons – I know them and they know me. I will accept this as nature’s way, like Gin explained sometimes this just happens. Glad your shipment of worms from Grubco turned out good. My shipment of 10,000 was all very nice and larger than I’m used to. The birds just do not have to pick up as many as before, less work for them, (ha, Ha!

      #8450

      That should be one very well fed youngster. And yes, I agree on the Grubco order. The worms were much larger than the initial 1,000 I bought from WBU. Thank you for your recommendation.

      David
      Stafford, VA

      #8453
      Julie
      Participant

        Carol, thanks for sharing the final outcome. I’ve been wondering. There’s always so much to learn. Hopefully there’ll be a 3rd nesting for you. If not, you’re going to have one happy fledgling with all the attention it’s getting!

        #8463
        Carol – Mid-Mo.
        Participant

          Yes, this lone baby is thriving – getting lots of attention from Papa especially and is now 8 days old and very good size. Thanks everyone for the concerns & ideas.

          #8470
          Julie
          Participant

            Carol, I received the PA Bluebird Society newsletter today, and it had a great cover article about using nest cups in boxes. Here’s a link by the same author that contains the gist of the newsletter article (couldn’t find the newsletter article online yet): http://www.bluebirdconservation.com/2013/06/why-use-a-nest-cup/

            I share this because in the detailed newsletter article he talks about how a cup prevents eggs from getting displaced so that they’re outside the area where mama blue’s incubation heat is. For instance, with 5 eggs, one egg can easily work its way down into the nest beneath the other 4 eggs, and mama has no way to bring that egg back up, so it doesn’t get incubated properly (no mama body heat). Or sometimes an egg gets pushed up toward the outer edge of the nest, where mama’s brood patch doesn’t reach. He laid out several examples like that to explain why a nest cup helps prevent unhatched eggs.

            He also mentions the other reasons for a nest cup–easier to check (and later clean) the box, helps prevent fledglings from falling out of box during check, makes nest switching easier, etc. But I found the part about egg displacement most interesting in relationship to your why of eggs not hatching. Of course there a bunch of other reasons, too, but thought I’d share this idea. For what it’s worth.

            #8471
            Carol – Mid-Mo.
            Participant

              Thanks, Julie, I will check into this article.

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