Dealing with eggs?

[lovey_dovey]

Hi,
Little JellyBean was showing a lot of nesting behaviour so we gave her a little cardboard house and she had an egg but what do we do next? I don't want to stress her out but she's being very unfriendly and nippy and doesn't want to come out of her cage. Do I take away the egg and house at the same time or separately? And how long should I let her have them?

Thanks! Ashley and Jells

[bellarains]

Hi Ashley,

Incubation time is approximately 23 days from each egg laid. It is best to let JellyBean keep her eggs until she decides to abandon them, as taking them away could cause to keep laying more eggs in an attempt to complete her clutch. As this is her first egg, she may or may not sit, or lay more, but let her tell you when she's ready to give it up.

I am assuming JB has no mate, so eggs will be infertile, but to her they are her babies, so the territorial issues are caused by her internal instinct to protect her young. It will pass when she's through laying/nesting, and you'll get your sweetie back:)

[linda040899]

Lori is right. Once a lovie hen begins laying, it's best just to make her comfortable and leave things alone! She will defend her eggs, fertile or not, with her very life and there's nothing we can do or should do except let Nature take her course.

Make sure she's on a good diet and gets food rich in calcium, as her body is utilizing calcium to make the shells for her eggs. Best sources are collard greens and broccoli. I would also add a bit of egg, as it contains Vit D that birds need to utilize the calcium they consume.