February 20, 2023
Brand
Hello I found out my Jenday conure is a girl because she laid an egg. I heard calcium helps but I’m not sure what brand to purchase or from where? Please advise
Question:
Answer:
Hi,
Usually a cuttlebone and a mineral block can provide the calcium she needs if she will chew on them. You can offer cooked egg with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the eggs. But this could also encourage her to lay more eggs. It’s best to discourage egg laying because it’s very hard on her system. There are some changes you can try that should discourage egg laying.
You need to do all of these things to discourage egg laying. Keep in mind that to lay eggs, she needs longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. Your goal is to reverse these conditions.
Limit her light to 8-10 hours by covering the cage early each evening
Do not give her 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 her 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 she shows 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.
If she is let out of the cage, do not let her get in any dark cozy places and don’t give her free roam.
When you handle her, limit any petting to only her head and neck – do not pet her 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.
Right now she will probably lay several more eggs. But if she starts a new clutch in spite of you making changes, then you may need to look into getting her a hormone implant by an Avian Vet.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
