i get eggs in the carton, Egg Beaters or egg whites

• The cost of groceries - WOW!! - ALmt
  • i get eggs in the carton, Egg Beaters or egg whites - seems like a better deal to me n/m
  • you might be interested in this. I have a feeling we'll all be needing it. - grasshopper
  • We are also trying to get a garden going as well. - Texas girl
    • Have always had a garden. Usually have (sm) - Sherry
    • I have always grown veggies - sm - ALmt
      • For anyone new at veggie gardening, - Me
  • The reason is high gas prices. - the original zzz
    • Actually, that is only part of the equation. - JS
      • Agree, but on a lighter, but actually maybe a more serious note... - the original zzz
    • Yep, and that "donkey" in the white house doesn't care. - me
      • he's an oil man, as is Cheney - that's why we need new blood n/m
  • me too -- i can't help but pay - sm
  • Tell me about - my fellow American....
    • Linda Chavez has great articles and makes a lot of sense. - MT and worn out
      • sorry. forgot to mention Linda Chavez is in refernce to threads about high food prices. - MT and worn out.
  • I know! - mt45

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You are having a time of it, aren't you! 

This is not an uncommon problem.  Many birds lay eggs anywhere and everywhere and don't sit until the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or more clutch has been laid.  Breeders use those birds just to get the eggs and then put the eggs under another female who is sitting and she becomes the surrogate mother.  What they do is put a hole in the bottom of the nest so that when the eggs are laid they fall down the hole to the pan where the breeder can get them before they are consumed and/or broken by the parents.  Cool, huh?  I had a pair of Quakers who were fantastic layers but ate every darn egg before I could get to them.  I know that's not what you want to do, but this is how the pros handle bad sitters.  Or they use an incubator which automatically turns the eggs every couple of hours if the hen won't sit. 

Some birds eat the eggs out of boredom.  Some eat them because they are craving calcium.  Do you have cuttlebone in the cage?  Is it within easy reach?  Make sure it is.  If they are not using it, you may need to add a calcium supplementation to the female's food or she could become egg-bound trying to lay (egg gets stuck in the vent and bird dies.)  Consult your vet if she is not using the cuttlebone, as too much calcium is a really bad thing.  Watch the male for the culprit as well.  He may be low on calcium but since she is the layer you have to be especially careful of this when she is laying.  You have to know the proper dosage to add to her food and don't let the male eat the extra calcium if he doesn't need it because you don't want to overload his system.  If they are both eating the cuttlebone well, that is a good sign.  

If she starts to sit and you don't want the babies, remember to substitute another WARM (in your hands warm) item such as a small marble or a bead that resembles the egg so that she will sit for her 28 or so days while her body recovers from laying or else she will continue to lay and lay until she is dead.  They all need a period of rest between laying.  Check out bird supply sites on the Internet for fake eggs. 

If it gets to be too chronic, remove the male from the female to keep her from laying, at least while she builds her strength back up. 

My bet is a calcium deficiency perhaps in both birds because either one or both are not just playing with them/breaking them but eating them as well.  Don't add a calcium supplement without checking with your vet first.  You have to get the correct diagnosis and then the correct dosage. He/she can feel the birds bones and do an assessment, etc.  Find someone who really knows exotics. 

Be sure their diet consists of more than seeds.  Get them to eat some pelleted food.  The best is Harrison's I was once told but do whatever works.  Seed alone leads to malnutrition.  This goes for all birds of whatever type.  Also green veggies like Romaine which has calcium and they can drag a small piece around and play with it as they munch on it.  Small as in thumbnail size at a time.  My finches got carrot strips, broccoli florets, celery leaves, peas, etc. as toys to play with.  They had a ball and it was all natural. 

Best of luck! 

storage and other stuff.

Not like I'll ever own one, but they're pretty to look at.  Cat

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/4819/felist.html

Emeril says to put the eggs in the pot with the  cold water, and wait for it to boil, when it's a rolling boil, shut off the stove, and cover the pot for 13 minutes - and voila!!  Perfect hard-boiled eggs!!

*S*