chronic egg laying

[cllathem]

I have a 7 year old rescue pair of lovebirds, Sampson and Deliliah. She is a chronic layer and self plucker. Previous owner threw away every egg laid on bottom of cage.And never supplied a nesting box.

She will lay whether she has a nesting box or not, whether she already has a previous clutch, or boiled eggs, or fake eggs. The whole nest will get stinky and full of eggs if left alone.

I keep her healthy with calcium suppliments, fresh fruits and veggies, egg bread that the vet suggested. As well as cuttlebone, toys, treats and seeds.
How can I stop her laying?

Its now gotten so bad that Sampson is now tired of feeding her and sitting on her eggs. He prefers to fly around the house following me from room to room. This causes her to scream and attack him when he DOES come back to the cage.

Last night Sampson was sitting on my (long suffering-LOL) German Shepherd's head while Sera was sleeping, and Deliliah flew out of the cage to bite Sera on the nose!

What is going on with that bird?!

[linda040899]

With a chronic egg layer, you need to break the cycle. If everything remains the same, the behavior will not change.

First thing to try is a completely different cage in a different location. Being an older hen who has been allowed to lay with no intervention, her days of continued egg laying should be numbered, so to speak. Changing her home and the location of her home could be enough to do it. If not, my next suggestion is to consult with your avian vet to see if hormone shots would be helpful. Shots should be the last resort, but know the option is there if needed.

[cllathem]

OH GOOD LORD THEY'RE AT IT AGAIN! As I type, my hen has come out of the cage to demand that Sampson upchuck his lunch into her mouth. This is her "I wanna make sweet birdie love to you" signal......and there they go again! This means that the 4 eggs now in her nest that most likely wont hatch-- as none of them ever do-- will be added to by another 4. Should I take the 4 old ones out?

I intend to get another cage, and put it in my sewing room, (when I can afford another one) but I worry that it will inhibit Sampsons socialization. After 7 months, of the cage being next to the couch, he will finally take a treat (through the bars only at this point) from my fingers if no one else is in the room. He will follow me from room to room, or do fly-by's hitting me with his wings while Im watching tv.