My lovebird laid an egg!

[Tirilliel]

I’m going to change her cage around today.. to help take her focus away from wanting to lay eggs. I will also be taking away any shredable materials and happy huts and things like that.

I think I have pretty much everything under control but there are a few questions and I would like further opinions on these.

1. I’m told that a cuddle bone or vitamin block might not be enough calcium for Houdini and I should get something to supplement that, to prevent egg binding. She’s on a budgie seed mix, millet and organic dehydrated veggie diet (shes a picky eater and seems to like thinks with a crunch)

2. I’m also told to cut her daylight hours back to just four for a while to discourage the behavior. It just seems like so little to me… I believe that the peach faced variety comes for Africa and I don’t think that there is any time of the year there were they get just four hours of daylight? Is this correct?

3. To keep the egg or to remove the egg? Houdini is a single bird so the egg was infertile. Even so people have suggested I boil the egg or freeze the egg. Some have said I don’t need to do that, but to let her keep it to prevent her from laying more. But then.. I have also heard that allowing them to sit on the egg while tending and spending all that energy trying to hatch will put stress on their bodies as well?

So what’s the best thing to do?

Well… thank you in advance for you advice.

[bellarains]

Hi,

You can supplement the cuttlebone with foods high in calcium such as broccoli,kale,collards,figs, etc.... You can also shave a bit of the cuttlebone over her seed mix to encure she is getting it.

Four hours of daylight seems a bit extreem to me. If you have already changed things around in her cage, tried moving the cage location, and taken away shredding material, and she is still set on nesting, she will lay an egg regardless. Can't stop nature;)

In this case, you will need to give her a nestbox, add a little carefress or aspen, and let her sit on her eggs for approxmately 23 days from the last egg laid. If not allowed to complete her clutch, she may continue laying trying to do so, and this can cause health issues, and egg binding. Since the eggs are infertile, no need to boil them, or anything else.

Let us know how it's going. When she starts laying, just watch her carefully to make sure she is eliminating, as this is sign of egg binding if she is not. Oh, and the poops will be a little less frequent, but much bigger is size:eek:

[Tirilliel]

Thank you bellarains,

So no additional calcium supplement is necessary so long as I know she’s getting enough from her cuttlebone? Houdini is a picky eater, though she will eat cooked broccoli so ill look into getting her some.

If fours hours of daylight is too much how many hours do you suggest I cut back if it is even necessary?

Is a nest box really necessary, houdini is a single bird? If I allow her to keep the first clutch of eggs wont she eventually realize they wont hatch? Shouldnt I discourage the nesting behavior and distract her attention on other things? And if I do this.. will she try another clutch after she gives up on the first?

I have noticed that her poops are quite large, in fact there were many signs to suggest she might lay an egg sometime soon, but untill she did her gender was unknown and I didn’t think much on it. Well now I know she is in fact female *grin*

[BarbieH]

Hi Candace;

She doesn't need an actual nestbox; an empty tissue box from unscented tissues will work well. Make sure all plastic and staples are removed. You can also give her shredded paper towel to line it with. Carefresh is very good when you need to watch egg humidity, but not necessary when the eggs are infertile. :)

You will want to make sure humidity is not too low and that the room is not cold when she is getting ready to lay more eggs. You want to help her muscles relax so that she can pass the eggs easily. Sometimes a heating pad under the cage helps if the cage is in a cool room. Make sure she has a dish to bathe in, and consider misting around the cage (carefully if you are going to us a heating pad) if the humidity is low.

Best wishes,

[kimsbirds]

If fours hours of daylight is too much how many hours do you suggest I cut back if it is even necessary?


I don't think bellarains meant that you cut it even further, I am pretty sure she meant that 4 hrs was extreme in the sense that its way too little light !!

When I want to discourage breeding/egg laying I reduce their natural light from 12 hrs daily down to 9 or 10 daily.

The general rule of thumb for infertile eggs is "let the hen lay,incubate, and abandon them on her own terms" Once she realizes they will not hatch (you need to count days too) she should gradually get back to normal. You need to watch her behaviour so she doesn't begin another clutch right away.

Good Luck

[shylevon]

Birds can get triggered 'into' a laying cycle with a shortening of days. In Africa, birds lay in the seasons that are prevalent in food and water, and that is the winter months. Giving the appearance of shortening the day may make birdie's natural cycles go into high gear, and the eggies may begin to come.

I wouldn't mess with the amount of light she gets, as eventually you will need to revert back to normal, and what will happen then?

As for the cuttlebone. If you think she is not getting enough calcium, you may need to purchase a powder or liquid suppliment. Try to get one from the vet, as they are better and more cost effective in the long run.

[bellarains]

Candace,

I can only tell you what I do with Lacey. I give her a box, give her nesting material, let her have full access to shreddables during her nesting period, and let nature take it's course. When she stops coming out for shredding materials, I stop giving them.

I watch her very closely when the 23 day mark comes up, and as soon as I notice her coming out of the box more, becoming more vocal, and sometimes she pushes an egg or two out of the bunch, I take the box down, and dispose of the eggs. I do take her out of sight of the box before I take it down, as I don't want her to stress overly much. She looks for it for just a little while, but then goes about her business as usual. You want to take it away at the right time to avoid her starting another clutch.

After awhile Houdini will get nesty again, then you can try rearranging the cage, move the location, etc... to put off another clutch as long as possible, but she will lay eggs again, that's just inevitable. It is just nature, and what she's meant to do, we just do the best we can to make sure they don't lay too often to avoid excess stress on their bodies:)

[shylevon]

I think the thing to do is discourage egg laying while she is not in a laying cycle. If she should lay an egg regardless of your efforts to stop her, you are not encouraging her to lay more by giving her a place to sit on her eggs. Nature already has her on a course and you should make her comfortable while that is happening. Hens lay eggs, and you can't stop that. After she abandons the nest, remove it, rearrange the cage and, once again, try to discourage her from laying.

You don't need to give her a nestbox, but an unscented Kleenex box, some aspen chips, and a quiet corner will suffice. She may shred the box, but that is normal. I wouldn't stop giving her shreddables. She will want to make a nest for her eggs and many birds will pluck themselves bald if they have nothing to make a nest out of but their own feathers. This cycle will pass, but it is best to keep her comfortable till it does.

I know of no dietary change that will discourage egglaying, just as with humans, no food will prevent a woman from ovulating (more's the pity).

[Martha]

Oh my gosh! Congrats on the egg!