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To nest or not to nest

Leih

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I'm not sure where to post this, but thought this spot was probably best.;)
My lovebird, Aoife, turned 2 May 1 and layed one clutch of 5 last year around this time (late August). She's a single lovebird, so they were sterile. I let her brood for the standard incubation period then kicked her off her nest. No other eggs since then. Now, as in this week, when she's out flying around she'll shred something and take a piece back to her cage and into the corner where she sleeps and then she comes back out. Obviously, she thinks she's making a nest, however she has nowhere to make one.
My question is, should I give her something to nest in and just let her lay a clutch? Is there any health benefit to a hen laying a clutch once in awhile? She's not preoccupied with nesting, but obviously if I give her something to nest in, she will be, however at one clutch in a year she's not a chronic layer.
I've asked @Zara about this as she's our lovebird lady :) but I'm curious to what others have to say.
Here's a pic just for fun
20200812_141252.jpg
 

Zara

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She´s such a gorgeous girlie!! :swoon:

I would not give her a nest/box/bed. When she wants to lay, she will.

Like I said before, lone hens will lay less. As for is it healthy to lay so little, I do not know.

@fluffypoptarts may have some thoughts
 

fluffypoptarts

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I’m with @Zara. Don’t give her anything to nest in as that would kick things into high gear, as you suspect. Or even anything she could see as a nest (a platform perch in my girl’s case). Snerky would lay from the top perch in her cage even after bothering to build a nest in the corner on the bottom of her cage!

She hasn’t been a big layer either. One egg here, a couple there. 6 months to a year in between. Now she hasn’t laid since 2016.

Neutrino has never laid in the 5+ years I’ve had her.

Glitch laid some eggs a couple of times earlier this year, but hasn’t for a while now. Hopefully she’ll be like Snerky!
 

Leih

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I’m with @Zara. Don’t give her anything to nest in as that would kick things into high gear, as you suspect. Or even anything she could see as a nest (a platform perch in my girl’s case). Snerky would lay from the top perch in her cage even after bothering to build a nest in the corner on the bottom of her cage!

She hasn’t been a big layer either. One egg here, a couple there. 6 months to a year in between. Now she hasn’t laid since 2016.

Neutrino has never laid in the 5+ years I’ve had her.

Glitch laid some eggs a couple of times earlier this year, but hasn’t for a while now. Hopefully she’ll be like Snerky!
Okay, that sounds good to me, I will definitely not give her anything. I've been watching to see if she tries to nest in her food bowls, since they're huuge (small bird owners know the struggle!) and I have the same cage as Zara and Lapis gets nesty with them. Now if she goes fully into egg mode, and I suspect an egg is en route, then I'll consider giving her something. Although if she lays on the cage bottom and shows no interest, I'll just take it out and pretend we didn't see it:facepalm:
 

fluffypoptarts

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Okay, that sounds good to me, I will definitely not give her anything. I've been watching to see if she tries to nest in her food bowls, since they're huuge (small bird owners know the struggle!) and I have the same cage as Zara and Lapis gets nesty with them. Now if she goes fully into egg mode, and I suspect an egg is en route, then I'll consider giving her something. Although if she lays on the cage bottom and shows no interest, I'll just take it out and pretend we didn't see it:facepalm:
Lol yeah, those gigantic bowls!! You could swap the eggs for fakes and let her have them for a while as removing the eggs right away can spur her to lay more. Then remove if she shows zero interest. (Snerky & Glitch have zero maternal instinct!)
 

Zara

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Yea those bowls are insanely big for such a small cage. Lapis and Nube would get inside and snuggle! :facepalm:

@fluffypoptarts , Leih said she would remove IF Aoife shows no interest ;)
 

Leih

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Oops, I missed that part and saw the “take it out and pretend it never happened”. Just covering all the bases! :D
Yeah definitely, I have dummy eggs :) When she layed last year she didn't show any interest until I put it up for her to brood on, I really didn't know what I was doing or that in that scenario I could probably just take it out. So basically I taught her that they are something important and then her instincts kicked in.
 

Leih

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I think the cage manufacturers know what size bird will go in that cage because they make the bar spacing right, so why can't they do something about the bowls? There should be some kind modification kit. So annoying!
 

Tielygirl

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Leih

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Hello, Only chipping in here about the bowls. I found these 5oz SS bowls awhile back and LOVE them! I recommend for little birds. Also picky eaters as you dont need a ton of food to make it appear full.

View attachment 349858

Oh yeah those are great! My cages have swing out doors, though, that don't let me use those. :confused:
 

Zara

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They are great for water and foraging toys etc but food is the problem.

Leih, you can use those little bowls posted above and just put them somewhere else and don´t use the feeder doors... Or attach one to the inner part of the door (main door)
 

Shezbug

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You can get different sizes of ring holders for the smaller bowls- I have a few of them stashed away somewhere, some screw in like the permanent ones on the cage feeder doors and I have some that hang wherever you want to put them. The feeder door ones have the same screw plate set up with a smaller ring and bowl or there are the ones designed to be put on the bars as pictured above.
 

Leih

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She hasn't been preoccupied with the bowls, so I just haven't bothered changing them. I do have some of those bolt in ones from her first cage floating around so I may put one in for foraging.
 
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