please tell me i'm just imagining this

[bookworm0550]

i think hermes is def thinking about another clutch. she is spending more and more time in her nestbox and she's very aggressive about shredding everything. *sigh* i should have named her michelle dugger. i got dummy eggs waiting for her. i hope not to find an egg anytime soon. her and chomper have been mating. and when she's not mating and she's horny, she'll take to humping apollo's hump toy. and apollo's watching from outside his cage and goes into joey's cage to hump his toy and joey's outside humping on his blue teddy bear. i thought fall was a time when the hormones died down a bit. no?

they are still very protective about their current babies. she won't let me touch them or even reach my hand into her cage to put food in their food bowls. but yes, as i am writing this, she has already gathered more nesting things and just went into her box.

is she not tired of having babies? i know when evie was done, she had this 'it's finally over" relieved look in her eyes. i have yet to see her and pan mate since.

what can i do about her wanting to lay again? should i just the babies outgrow the nestbox and then take it out then? and just let her lay in a bowl or something? i'm afraid she's gonna lay soon cuz her vent looks swollen.

[linda040899]

Each hen is different and it sounds like Hermes wants another clutch of youngins. :omg: Since she's already begun mating, she's going to lay her eggs. I would leave the nest box where it is, but replace each newly laid egg with a fake one. Let her incubate the fake eggs and then be prepared to remove everything about 25 days after the very last egg has been laid, if she doesn't abandon them first.

[bookworm0550]

what bout her current babies? what if she lays while they are still in there?

[personatus]

Most birds will start laying again before the last chick fledges...it's one of them things! I either seperate the parents, leaving dad to feed the chicks or replace the eggs with fakes. Sometimes you can move the chicks to a dish on the bottom of the cage - this usually delays the hen from laying again, giving you that extra time you need....but that depends on how old the chicks are, some parents may not like this.

P.S if you replace the eggs with fakes, warm them up before you put them in...some hens aint stupid and will kick them out LOL!

[linda040899]

Those babies will not be a problem. Most hens will begin the next clutch before the current one is out of the nest. The older ones will venture out but Hermes should be OK with them in the nest with her, at least part of the time.

If not, set up another cage with a nest box and move the babies. Let dad spend most of his time with the babies during the day and then let him go back to mom. You may not be able to have the babies' cage right next to where Hermes is.

Another possibility is to set up a second nest in the parents cage. It would work if the babies are willing to move there. Not all babies are that willing, however.

[CompassionAk]

i should have named her michelle dugger.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[bookworm0550]

for real. michelle and jim bob or whatever his name is. lol.

[bookworm0550]

I found an egg today in the nestbox! I switched it out with a dummy egg.

[thebubbleking]

Wow close your drapes or turn off your lights what are you teaching your fids? lol

[bookworm0550]

Bubbleking, I live in mn! We ain't got no sunshine!

[bbslovie]

Wow close your drapes or turn off your lights what are you teaching your fids? lol

Too funny bubbleking!

[bookworm0550]

so, can i take out her nestbox now? she's still sitting on those fakes like no other. she's still shredding paper and stuff for her nest. it's been a month since her first egg. she'll be ok if i take it out right? i can't wait for her to molt cuz she's looking rough.

[linda040899]

How long since the last egg was laid?