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Question:

June 25, 2021

I have 2 cocktails and one of the birds is laying eggs but


I have 2 cocktails and one of them is laying eggs but are not sitting on the eggs how can I help these birds this is about the 3 or 4th batch and them eggs are just there should I take them out and how will I know if they are good eggs or not please please help me


Answer:

Hi Lupe,

The first thing you will need to do is stop the egg laying so that the hen can rest for a while. In the wild, they only breed once a year. In captivity, they will breed year round because they do not get the environmental signals that stop them from breeding. But this is very hard on the female’s health, and she can literally die from laying eggs too often. For a breeding pair, they should only be allowed to lay eggs twice a year, with a 6 month rest in between each clutch. If we determine this is not a male and female, then you need to try to stop the egg laying entirely.

It sounds like the pair may not be bonded, or they are too young, or you may have two females. Are the birds at least 2 years old? If not, they are not old enough to breed yet. Can you send some pictures to customerservice@lafeber.com so we can make sure you do have a male? Do they have a nest box and is she laying eggs in the box?

If they are old enough, and we are sure one is a male and they have a nest box, you need to remove the box for now and let them rest for 6 months before you give it back to them. There are some changes you need to make to stop or discourage egg laying so that the female can rest. It’s important to make all of these changes because the female’s health and life is at risk if she doesn’t take a break from egg laying.

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 one 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 or give them some toys.

Move the cage to a busy family room, and move it to a different place in the room about once a week, or whenever they show signs of nesting.

If the birds are let out of the cage, do not let them get in any dark cozy places.

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.

If the hen continues to lay eggs anyway, then you may have to take her to an Avian Vet for a hormone implant or shot.

After 6 months of not laying any eggs, you can give the nest box back. It should be attached to the outside of the cage, as high as possible. You will basically reverse what you did to stop them from breeding and laying eggs. Breeding birds need privacy, so you should only go near the cage to feed them or do a quick check. They should not be in a busy family room. You need to feed them a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets or our foraging diets – a seed mix is not going to provide the nutrition they need. Also offer dark leafy greens and chopped veggies. Start feeding them egg food during this time. You can cook an egg with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the egg, or buy a commercial egg food. If they do not mate, or sit on the eggs this time, then they just aren’t cut out to be breeders and you should not try to breed them again or give them a nest box again. There is no use to put the hen through the stress of laying eggs if she isn’t ever going to sit on them. Some birds simply do not make good breeders. But hopefully after a rest, and after you make sure they have a good diet and a private place for the breeding cage, they will settle down and care for the eggs.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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