Question:
I have 2 lovebirds. Their 1st clutch had only one egg out
of 5 that had a fully developed baby in it. I opened up the egg because it
was 10 past the "due date". When I called my local vet, they said there
should have been SOME kind of life when I opened it,which it did not.
(which I did very gently with a toothpick). My question is, I have seen my
birds mating alot!!!! since I took the other eggs out. (they only had yokes
in them and they were over a month and 1/2 old). The very day I took the
old eggs out, she laid another and they bred all day. she has now laid 3
eggs and I don't know wether they are fertilized or not? HOW IS THE EGG
FERTILIZED? Does it penetrate the "shell" while inside the "hen" or does
the "hen" have to be fertilized by the male first and then the eggs grow
inside her. Please respond quickly as I don't know WHAT to do.
Replies:
I can't help witht he details of incubation etc. but I can tell you that
fertilization in birds takes place pretty much the same as in mammals, there
is courtship and intercourse, after which the fertilized egg develops. If
there is not successful fertilization after intercourse the eggs may develop
sterile - this is how we get chickens to keep laying sterile eggs.
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