Ask Lafeber

Love birds

My birds are breeding but they are not laying any egg. I have not change their nest box not even change anything in case.

Hi Snigdha,

Mating is a good sign that they are heading in the right direction. Are they going into the nest box at all? Usually when the hen is getting ready to start laying eggs, she will spend a lot of time in the box getting it ready. She may use some of her feathers and her mate may bring strips of paper or other materials to add to the box. If they do not have any paper, try providing some plain white paper. Usually they will make strips of paper with their beaks and tuck it into the feathers above the tail in order to carry it to the nest. There isn’t much you can do other than make sure they have a nutritious diet, and plenty of privacy. You can start feeding them cooked eggs, with the shell crushed and cooked with the eggs. Wash the shell thoroughly before you break the eggs. This egg food may help stimulate her to lay eggs. The hen needs the extra protein and calcium when she is laying eggs and feeding chicks. Breeding birds takes a lot of patience, so all you can do is wait. Not all birds will be good breeders so this may also be the case. But give them some time – they still may be young or simply not ready to settle down and lay eggs yet.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda