I feel like such a bad person...

[Jally]

I just took Maile's eggs out of her cage and swapped her happy hut with another smaller one. She isn't happy and it is all I can do not to put her eggies back in with her. :(

Having a child go off to college has me being way more emotional than I normally am, and seeing her look for her eggies makes me want to cry.

Will she get over it or will she keep calling and looking? They've been with her for over a month and she has left them for longer periods playing and flying around with Peanut. This is heartbreaking!

[chromasnake]

If she is anything like my hen, she won't be looking very long. Instead she'll be looking around to start a new nest and possibly another clutch. If you don't want her going all nesty again, can I suggest not giving your pair a happy hut or anything 'nestlike' any more. I only put the Happy Hut in at night and gradually discontinued it altogether. My very nesty hen still looks to shred things (which I give her only for a limited time, and then take away) but hasn't laid any eggs at all (since she clutched back in July) since boxes, huts, and paper are no longer a daily part of her cage.

[chromasnake]

PS: Don't feel bad. You might have left the eggies until she ignored them altogether, but it might be the nest itself and not the eggs she really misses. And you are being a caring and responsible parront!

[Chickobee]

We just did the same thing to Miss Pixie. She had started laying eggs again before her babies were even out of the nestbox. She kicked the babies all out and two of them sat forlornly on the perch and kept trying to get back in. She became more and more mean to them so we moved her into a different cage and let her keep her box and her three eggs.

Then she buried them in the nesting materials so when I checked the next day there were no eggs. Then she got them out again most of the way so they were visible but she didn't sit on them.

She was still EXTREMELY cage territorial and bitey. We let her keep her box and her eggs but it was obvious she was not trying to hatch them--even though they were probably fertile. Then two days ago we took the nestbox away from her and she was going absolutely crazy looking for it. She sure is determined!

Then she calmed down in a few hours and even came out of the cage and sat on Dave's shoulder without biting him! That's a first for her in a very long time. (Notice I said "Dave's shoulder"? I wasn't taking ANY chances!!!)

Today she is back to being bitey and mean. Dave got her out this morning so he could replace her cuttlebone. She was OK for about five seconds and then she just latched onto his wrist and wouldn't let go. When he finally peeled her off he was handling her like a hot potato trying to get her back into the cage again. What a meanie!!!

We're hoping that soon we will have our old Pixie back because she was the sweetest velcro birdie before babies. But, maybe she will always be like this, but I sure hope not. None of our other hens are mean like her.

Pixie would just raise babies continuously if we let her. I've ordered some plastic eggs so if she won't stop this constant egg laying I'll have some to replace her eggs with.

She gives a whole new meaning to "nesty hen". It's even hard to feel sorry for her when she's so bitey.

[Jally]

Aw, thank you. I am so glad that you all understand.

I would take her hut away from her, but she loves to sleep in it. I would take it out and put it back in for her to sleep, but I like having all my fingers intact :o)

I think I may see if she will come out on her own tomorrow morning and yank it out. Then see if she may come out again in the evening.

My 2 lovies are housemates, that's all. I'm not sure that Peanut is a boy, but I know for a fact that Maile is a girl LOL

Maile doesn't get any shreddable's, well she doesn't get any on purpose. While she was out this morning, she got ahold of my insurance card for my car and chewed one whole side LOL

Should I allow her to have some shreddables every so often?

[Bubblelady]

She was OK for about five seconds and then she just latched onto his wrist and wouldn't let go. When he finally peeled her off he was handling her like a hot potato trying to get her back into the cage again. What a meanie!!!

She gives a whole new meaning to "nesty hen". It's even hard to feel sorry for her when she's so bitey.


Post partem depression :confused:

Dave has my sympathy. Buddy almost lost her happy home when I first got her, didn't know anything about hens--or even that she was a hen-- & hadn't learned what triggered her jaws of death! It was the small can of canary treat. Every time I opened it I got attacked, big time. Guess it looked like a nest box door to her. Since my previous lovie (male) had never done that to me, I thought I just had gotten a devil bird. Happily, I stopped opening the can in her presence and let her have the top kitchen drawer, and we became friends. But there was a time.....

[Jally]

Maile had a horrible night. She chirped at every little noise, real and imaginary.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

(((((Jally)))))

Believe me when I tell you that I *know* this is hard. I've been there. I can't remember, did you try rearranging the cage? A new toy to distract her? Millet?

And you are NOT a bad person. Like Chromasnake said, you are being a responsible pet owner. And that is a very good thing. :)

[thebubbleking]

Nothing wrong with doing what is best for ones fid trust me i feel bad when i have to do something as simple as a wing trim!

[Jally]

I did rearrange her cage to the best of my ability. She is very cage aggressive! Now she has no shredding toys, all noisy toys and I think she likes them or at least she likes to take out her anger on them LOL

All day yesterday, she pushed around her veggie bowl and kept slamming her food and water bowls down.

I tricked her into coming out of her cage last night to put her original happy hut back in after I washed it and she had a much better nights sleep. If I keep taking it out and then put it back in in the evening, I think she will get used to it.

I'm wondering how the original owners handled her egg laying because if she were a chronic egg layer as they said she was, she should have been used to it then.

Thanks for the support and hugs :)

[Jally]

Ok, after 2 very bad days of her being very angry, I decided to give back her eggs yesterday evening. No change yet to her behavior, but hopefully soon she will calm down some. Please, no harsh words :( I'm doing what I think is best for Maile. She was very distraught that I took her eggs and nothing that I did appeased her. Hubby isn't happy with me either, but he didn't hear her pitiful little chirps nor did he see just how angry she was all day. Although, she did latch on to his pinky finger and wouldn't let go!

[Jally]

A day of peace and happiness :) I'm so happy that she is so happy.