December 9, 2024
Eggs
Only have 1 cockatiel. She just laid infertile egg s. Do I remove egg or let her sit in on it. She’s 1 yr old. She found a basket and made into nest. Do I remove egg and basket?
Question:
Answer:
Hi,
You can definitely remove the egg and basket. She may lay several more eggs, every other day. What you need to do is make some changes to discourage future egg laying. By removing hormonal triggers, this can help prevent a bird from becoming a chronic egg layer. Forming and laying each egg takes a toll on her, so it’s best that she not lay eggs at all. Some hens get in a state of chronic hormones and can literally lay so many eggs that it kill her. But by making these changes, you are working to avoid any issues. If she keeps laying eggs, you can also consult with a Vet for hormone treatments for her.
Keep in mind that in the wild for breeding, they need longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. The goal is to reverse these conditions.
Limit their light to 8-10 hours by covering the cage early each evening
Do not give them anything to use as a nest – no bird huts or tents, no box, bowl, etc. If she decides to sit in a food bowl, remove it and replace with smaller cups.
Do not give them anything to shred such as paper or cardboard.
Rearrange the toys in the cage frequently.
Move the cage to a different place in the room. Move the cage about once a week, or whenever they show signs of nesting – settling on the cage floor for example. This disrupts her idea of having a stable place to lay eggs and raise chicks.
If you feed a lot of fresh foods, stop offering any for a couple of weeks, and then only offer them in small amounts about 2 or 3 times a week. You can resume normal feeding later when the birds aren’t being hormonal.
When they are let out of the cage, do not let them get in any dark cozy places and don’t give them free roam. When you let them roam around, this mimics searching for a nesting site.
When you handle them, limit any petting to only the head and neck – do not pet a bird on the body. Only a bonded mate is allowed to groom the body. We can’t be a mate, so touching the body is off limits.
If there is no metal floor grate, then do not use any bedding or paper in the cage tray – leave it bare and clean it daily.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
