Lutino chicks

[Jill Page]

Can anyone tell me what I can expect to get from my Lutino couple? Will I get peachfaced lovebirds and lutinos possibly in the chicks? Also, how often are the eggs from a 1st clutch infertile? My lutino hen has laid 3 eggs already....should I even try to candle them? I am confused. Some say to let the hen do the whole incubation period anyway....

Thanks,

Jill

[Keltoth]

Well, if both parents are visual Lutinos, you will get Ino babies - Lutinos if they are green-series chicks. If both barents are visual Lutinos but both are split to blue, you could get Lutinos (green-series chicks) AND Creaminos (Ino birds in the blue series). They will still be Peachface Lovebirds, but will still bel yellow in body color.

In my hens, I have almost always had clutches where some eggs are fertile and some are not, even on their first clutch. However, I have had one hen that did not have any fertile eggs in her first clutch, but she is the only hen I have had do so.

I am not quite sure what you mean by "let the hen do the whole incubation period anyway"; candling the eggs has nothing to do with the incubation conditions. If you know what you are doing so you do not damage the eggs (and especially the embryos that may be developing inside), there is no harm in candling the eggs and will at least give you an idea of how many chicks (if any) you can expect.

Hope that helps -

Eric

[Jill Page]

Thanks, Eric.

I meant by letting the hen incubate the whole period if the eggs were infertile, that is all...

Jill

[bellarains]

Hey Jill,

You can candle the eggs approximately 10 days after each is laid to see if they are fertile. It is not uncommon for a first clutch to be infertile at all. Sometimes it takes a pair a little practice to get things right if you know what I mean;)

You heard correctly that you should let the hen incubate the eggs until she abandons the eggs. If not allowed to complete her clutch, she may continue to lay eggs trying to do so, and that can lead to depletion of vitamins and calcium, causing some serious health issues, and egg binding.

Incubation time is approximately 23 days from the last egg laid. You will see your hen push the eggs out of the cluster possibly, or scatter the eggs around. She also will come out of the nest more often and become more vocal. At that time you will need to remove the nestbox to avoid a double clutch, and put her on rest for 3-6 months, so that she can recoup for her next clutch.

Keep an eye on her to make sure she is eliminating, see that she gets easy access to calcium, food and water, and good luck with the clutch:)

[Jezz]

All your babies will be Lutino.
Usually, a birds first clutch will be infertile, or only contain 1 or 2 fertile eggs. That is in my experience anyway. Some people have had success with first time breeders.
You can candle the eggs from about day 4. If they are all infertile, let her sit on the eggs, especially becaquse it is her first time. She will eventually give up and come off the nest, usually around 30 days. At which time you should remove the eggs.

[mjm8321]

The other thing you might consider, if you do not know the genetic history of the parents, you might get a surprise. If both are split for say, Dutch blue, you can also get Creamino chicks. You'll not know until a clutch or two hatches and instead of a fuzzy orange chick, you could get a fuzzy white chick. It's happened to me a few times with the birds that I have no history on their genetics and it's quite a fun surprise.