Hi Barbara,
It sounds like this pair has been allowed to breed when they were too young, as well as being over bred by the previous owner. Captive raised birds will mature at too young of an age, and try to breed when they are not ready if they are allowed to. Even though they may be sexually mature, they still have some physical and emotional development that is important for them to be good breeders. With lovebirds, I’ve heard of some being allowed to breed as young as 8 months old. This is not responsible breeding. Breeders who raise show birds will recommend not starting lovebirds until they are about 2 years old. Young females are at a much higher risk of becoming egg bound or suffering other egg laying complications. And young pairs in general are mostly interested in mating and are not ready to settle down to care for eggs and chicks. They tend to develop bad breeding habits like breaking or eating eggs, and this can ruin them from ever being good breeders. When a pair has been allowed to breed too often, especially a young pair, this results in fewer fertile eggs, fewer eggs in general, small eggs, and chicks with poor health. And unfortunately many owners let their small birds breed when they are only being fed a loose seed mix. This causes nutritional issues with the female, especially, but also results in weak, sickly chicks.
I would remove the nest box and rest this pair for at least 6 months, but a year would be better. There are changes you can make to discourage more breeding. Lovebirds will breed when the days are longer, the weather is warmer, food is abundant and they have a safe, private place to nest. In captivity, they can have these conditions year round, so they do not stop breeding like they would in the wild. In the wild, breeding season is only once a year and they only raise one clutch per year. By reversing the perfect conditions, most pairs will stop breeding. Limit their light to 8-10 hours by covering their cage early in the evening. Rearrange the toys and perches in the cage, or give them a lot of toys if they don’t have any. Move the cage to the busiest room in the house, and then move the cage to a different place in the room about once a week, or if you see them trying to mate. Don’t give them anything they can use as a nest or sit in – no bird huts/tents, no boxes and if they come out of the cage, don’t let them get in dark, cozy places. Don’t give them anything to shred like paper or cardboard. If the cage does not have a metal floor grate, then do not use anything in the tray and just clean it daily. If you notice either bird starts to sit on the cage floor in a corner all the time, put toys or something else there to block that area. If they sit in a food bowl, remove it and replace with small cups. If you feed them a lot of fresh foods, stop offering any for a while and then only offer them a couple of times a week. If she still lays eggs, then you might want to discuss a hormone shot or implant with your Avian Vet. The implant works the best and works for longer. Both are temporary, but they can at least rest a hen from egg laying for a while. You aren’t stopping anything natural, because laying year round is not natural. But without the seasonal changes to trigger the end of breeding season, captive birds will not stop.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
