Posted 4/18/2016 12:43 (#5249796 - in reply to #5249490) Subject: RE: Barn swallows
Madison Co. Virginia
Southern Farmer - 4/18/2016 10:12
Didn't see any mention of them hatching eggs twice. Last year, they hatched 4 eggs and just as soon as they left the nest, she laid 4 more eggs. Only 3 of them survived.
+1. I've had as many as 14 active nests in the holding pen/return lane at a time, which allows for plenty of observation. Invariably, the parents will start a second litter immediately after the first, but seldom in the same nest. They'll pick another vacant nest(or build one if needed) even if it was just vacated by another family days prior. It's possible that the birds nesting in the northern climes only raise one litter; I don't know.
Barn swallows
