2 males and 1 female

[luluxoxo83]

Hi yall!
I have my 4 lovies, Phoenix, Sky, Sunny, and LuLu. I know that LuLu is a genetically proven female. However, I am not worried about LuLu; she pretty much does her own thing.
My concern is with Sky, Sunny and Phoenix. Phoenix is a almost 5 year old lovie who has never laid an egg. So needless to say my whole household just "figured" he was a male. UNTIL TODAY!!! I walked into the room and saw that Sky was behind Phoenix, doing the deed!:omg: Since everybirdie was still acting civil I just left it alone. UNTIL 2 HOURS LATER!!! I walked back in and I saw Sunny and Phoenix doing the deed! :omg:
My question is this, If Phoenix is a male can all 3 of them just be confused? :confused: Or can Phoenix just be a female that has never laid?:confused: If that is the case, then can both Sunny and Sky fertalize Phoenix's eggs?
Everybirdie is acting normal and playful, so is there a need for me to seperate them all? If I need to I will, I have PLENTY of cages. Any advise will be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks yall!

[bookworm0550]

um, wow, guess you'll have to see if phoenix lays an egg. i know same sex lovies do take turns humping one another too so....keep up posted on any eggs.

[FuzzyAga]

Rather than guessing, you could get the Do-It-Yourself DNA sexing kit from Avian Biotech. I used the plucked chest feather method and paid about $24.50. (My vet charged $58.00 and it took four-weeks to get the results.) The results came about 2-3 days later via my e-mail, and a nice hardcopy came in the mail later.

Or, you could wait for eggs. But that's a whole new stress unto itself, I've found!

This answer is how I tell you I have no idea what's going on with your flock! :) But I thought I'd give you a constructive, concrete answer.

[luluxoxo83]

Thanks for your replys. They all seem to be getting along just fine. If I see any eggs I will be sure to remove her along with the eggs and put her in another cage. I know I should move the "daddy" as well, but how will I know which one it is? Should I just pick one? Will he know if the babies are his or not?

[Chickobee]

Lovebirds do some strange things. :whistle:

I have one female/female pair who act like a bonded male/female pair. The rest of our lovies are all paired up, male/female pairs, but they are "sociable" with other birds when the flock is out. Some hens will spread their wings for other males and different birds will allo-feed each other. It seems to be a social activity with them in the community space, but they don't want other birds in their personal space (their cages). I often see two hens allo-feeding each other even though they both have mates, or hens with other males. I haven't seen two males allo-feeding though.

I have read that lovebirds in an aviary will sometimes mate with other birds but their mate will be the one who helps care for the babies, even if they are not his. I also read in the same article that the mate will stand by and watch while his mate is serviced by another male. The girls are the ones who choose who they want to breed with.

So, as suggested, the only way to be sure what you have is to wait for eggs or do the DNA testing.

My pair of green opaline hens are the very sweetest birds and the tamest ones we have. They are just darling together and they don't seem to care that they are both girls.