Hi,
It sounds like the pair has been well managed if they were only allowed to reproduce once a year. Although most people will not part with a good breeding pair unless they are retiring from breeding or if it’s an individual, they do not want birds anymore. However, usually the pair would be sold to another breeder. So it’s possible this pair isn’t the breeding pair you were told they are, unless there are circumstances that caused them to end up in rescue. That being said, it’s easy to keep birds from reproducing by not giving them a way to incubate their eggs. You can’t prevent a pair from mating and laying eggs if they want to. But you can do some things to discourage it. Not giving them a nest box is the first step. They do not need a nest, hut, tent, box or anything like that to sleep in. Nests are for breeding season only. You can keep them in a busy room in the house – breeding birds don’t like a lot of human or pet activity around them. Give them plenty of toys, and rearrange the toys often. Move the cage to another place in the room if you notice them mating or notice the hen trying to nest on the cage floor. A bonded pair is happy just being together. Many never breed in captivity. Conditions have to be just right for them to breed. Since Pionus can live 30-50 years, they are still in their prime as breeders. But forming and laying eggs is hard on a hen and it is never routine. Even a seasoned breeding hen can have reproductive issues or get egg bound. If you do let them breed, again, only give them a nest box for breeding and remove it after the chicks have left it.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
