Ask Lafeber

Not laying eggs after mating

My budgies mated and the female started going in the box but did not lay egg

Hi Chris,

Mating does not always result in egg laying. And if she does lay eggs, there is no guarantee that the eggs will be fertile, even if they did mate. Going in the nest box is a good sign, and shows she is interested. It takes a few days for the egg to form the shell after mating, and then she has to lay it, so it isn’t an immediate process. If she does lay an egg, they will continue to mate and she will lay up to 6 eggs, every other day. She may not start to sit on the until she has laid more than one egg. And if this is her first clutch, she might not sit on them at all. She has to learn what to do, and most of the time the first clutch is not successful. Make sure the pair is eating a nutritionally balanced diet – not a seed mix – as well as leafy greens, chopped veggies and cooked eggs, with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the eggs. The eggs & shell are very important because it provided the extra protein and calcium that the female needs. Give them plenty of privacy and hopefully they will settle down, lay eggs and take care of them.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda