Egg Laying Female? Or Sick Lovebird?

[Naiera]

Looks like "Egg Butt" to me! She shouldn't look like that for too long. If she looks like that for a couple days you may want to get her to the vet. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks!!

 

[Naiera]

Oh my goodness - there's an egg!!!! Oh boy! That's exciting!! I wonder if she will just lay the one, or more? Ooooh Mango...

I guess I'm looking for any advice on what's best to do now. Should I expect more eggs? I suppose let her sit (though it should be infertile). Any indication of how long? Anything else I need to worry about? What about cleaning her cage, is that still okay to do regularly? Maybe not a full cleaning, I usually take them outside and clean them, along with all my bunny stuff, each weekend. That usually takes a while, so maybe I'll just spot clean hers for now?

Maybe I'll skip my classes today and watch her. See if she lays more and what not. She just let out another GIGANTIC POOP, and now she's eating. I think those are good signs? I mean, at least she's pooping, even if it is huge. Oh my, I'm not sure if I feel relieved or more anxious now!

 

[JLcribber]

If she laid last night there's not going to be anything to watch today. Takes a day or two or three to build another one. Most hens lay more than one egg once into a cycle but who knows. Don't disturb her too much and just spot clean around her.

They very often do not take an interest in the eggs and begin sitting on them until the whole clutch is laid. DO NOT take them away. Let her have them for as long as it takes for her to abandon them on her own. Could be as little as 2 weeks or as long as 60 days. Let her get her fill of them to kill the cycle.

You should get some fake eggs anyway in case she damages one of the real ones. Once cracked/damaged the real eggs will go bad very quickly and can't be left in there.

Get some fakes here ----> Fake Bird Eggs

 

[Naiera]

If she laid last night there's not going to be anything to watch today. Takes a day or two or three to build another one. Most hens lay more than one egg once into a cycle but who knows. Don't disturb her too much and just spot clean around her.

They very often do not take an interest in the eggs and begin sitting on them until the whole clutch is laid. DO NOT take them away. Let her have them for as long as it takes for her to abandon them on her own. Could be as little as 2 weeks or as long as 60 days. Let her get her fill of them to kill the cycle.

You should get some fake eggs anyway in case she damages one of the real ones. Once cracked/damaged the real eggs will go bad very quickly and can't be left in there.

Get some fakes here ----> Fake Bird Eggs

Oh awesome, I was wondering if the eggs might go bad or something of the sort - thank you very much for that link. Also thanks for the info. about her possibly laying more eggs and the time frame - I'm going to use the excuse to stay home today anyway though, tehe - it's Friday! I'm allowed to do that, right?

 

[Bokkapooh]

Lovies will lay every 48 hours. And typically lay 4-6 eggs. So if she is going to lay more, expect it in two days. Read up on egg binding too if your not already aware of the signs.

 

[mask]

Glad she dropped an egg! Read up a bit on preventing it from happening again in the future too (unless you want eggs of course)

 

[Naiera]

Glad she dropped an egg! Read up a bit on preventing it from happening again in the future too (unless you want eggs of course)

Nope, don't want anymore eggs. Here's a question though, will preventative measures completely stop egg laying or does it just make it less frequent?

 

[bubblelady]

Nope, don't want anymore eggs. Here's a question though, will preventative measures completely stop egg laying or does it just make it less frequent?

Depends on the bird. My Buddy laid one egg in 15 years. My Johari is an egg-laying machine...no matter what anyone does or doesn't do Some hens never lay, some lay once or twice a year, some just won't stop! That's why I've decided...from now on, BOY lovies only Of course, they have "other" challenging behaviors

 

[Monica]

Glad to hear she laid an egg! That's a great sign!

You can either take preventative actions in trying to get her to stop, or allow her to go through the cycle.

1. Remove Eggs
   • Rearrange the cage
   • Perhaps move the cage to a new location
   • Use a cage grate
   • Get a new cage
   • 12-14 hours of complete darkness
   • Allow the house temperatures to go on the cooler side
   • Decreace calcium and protein within the diet (with the assumption the hen is receiving too much)
   • Remove anything that could be taken as a nest
   • Remove anything that could be used as nesting material
   • Don't allow her in any dark place or enclosed area
   • IMPORTANT: save the eggs in the fridge
   • If she lays more than 3-4 eggs, put them back in the cage
2. Leave the Eggs
   • Leave the eggs alone in the cage
   • [Optional] Replace with fake eggs (prevent eggs from breaking)
   • Increase calcium and protein
   • Let hen sit on eggs for 3-4 weeks or until she gets bored of them
   • Once done sitting, toss

My egg layers are cockatiels (notorious for 'chronic egg laying') and a bourke. I do not have chronic egg layers, not even in a hen that had become a "chronic egg layer" because her eggs were removed. The reason she kept laying eggs was because no preventative actions were taken to get her to stop, and she was technically encouraged because she ended up being covered almost 24/7 for being "too noisy" and may have seen the cage as a nesting site.


My bourke hen started laying eggs excessively when she was switched to a high protein diet to try and bring up her protein levels. When switched back to a lower protein diet, the eggs stopped.


I don't leave eggs with my hens. They get a "natural" day/night sleep pattern and are not kept on a 12/12 schedule. Instead, they get between 9-14 hours of sleep, depending upon the time of year. Not only this, but the house temperatures are not kept at a constant temp, so the room the birds are in can range from the low 50's to the high 80's, also depending upon the time of year as well as the time of day/night. Due to this, egg-laying is predominantly in summer, with a little in spring and maybe fall as well.


I can only suggest what has worked best for me!

 

[Naiera]

Great info. Monica and Maureen. Thank you so, so much! My game plan as of now (I think) is to let Mango do her thing, lay her eggs, sit, and hopefully - lose interest in them. After all this is done with, I'll certainly be more conscious about trying to discourage the behavior.

 

[Monica]

I know one person who actually encourages her hens/pairs to lay eggs once per year, as it is a natural process. This is a rescue/rehome type of person though, and not a breeder. She replaces all eggs with fake eggs, and allows the birds to go through the natural cycle by increasing calcium and protein, then decreasing these at the end of the cycle.

I think I'd probably worry too much if I allowed my hens to do that!

 

[Naiera]

Oh I know what you mean! I've been on edge every second of this o.o you hear so much about egg binding and whatever else can go wrong - I'd rather not make it a regular thing if it can be helped!

 

[Naiera]

Well, Mango laid another egg! Here it is (and the first one of course). I was able to snap a picture while she was out shredding some willow, which actually belongs to my bunnies ... but I think Mango likes it more than they do.




Boy oh boy! She seems worn out, poor thing. Lots of work - still eating okay though. She came out to visit with me a little bit today, but she's been with her eggs mostly. Sure makes it hard to clean her cage! When she's not paying attention I try to sneak in and clean up a bit, but she comes right back and gives me that "GET AWAY FROM MY CAGE" stance.

When I first thought she might be about to lay an egg, I made her a little box to try and encourage her to get it out! She seemed to like it but it got messy quick, and so I made another. Today I went ahead and made three more. She doesn't seem to mind if I change it, as long as she's not around Tehehe. Here's a picture of them. I know it's not ideal, but it's what I came up with from the supplies I have. The three I made today are from a Dr. Pepper box, but the first two were from tissue boxes, all the same in Mango's eyes I suppose! I stapled some nesting fluffies to the bottom so her eggs don't roll around. I was nervous about using staples at first, but she doesn't seem to pay them any attention.



And here's a side view! When I made the first one, Mango took it upon herself to cut out a peep hole in the side - silly bird. She seems to like to watch what's going on out of it ... lol ... so I cut those into each box I made:




Well, that's that! If anyone has any input, please feel free to share. Again, I know they're not perfect, but I think Mango likes them alright :\ Finally, here's a picture of Tiki, my other lovebird. I think he's feeling left out with all this Mango business!

 

[Naiera]

Mango laid another egg this afternoon - that makes 3. She's still eating and pooping, but I noticed one of her gigantic poops today was abnormally colored. It was hard to say for sure what part the color was coming from, I want to say it was the actual feces. It was more of a light brown that normal (it's usually a darker green color). It happened just after she laid the egg (or so it seemed), so we'll see if it goes back to normal or not in the next few hours. Still active though - shredding away. Sat on my shoulder today for a bit and took some seeds from me - spending most of her time in with her eggs though.

 

[Monica]

She must be quite proud of her nest(s)! Glad to hear she continues to do well! And hopefully she'll stop after a few more eggs are laid! (i.e. 5-6 max).