Chronic Egg Laying in Parrots
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by Shelly Lane Chronic egg laying isn't a major issue with most parrot species, but it can happen and is something every parrot owner should at least be aware of. By making a few small adjustments in the environment, owners can greatly reduce the chance of this issue ever occurring. |
A question that seems to come up a lot on forums and in my emails is how a single parrot can lay eggs. I think many bird owners are surprised to learn that their sweet little Kiwi or Snuggles can lay eggs without having mated with a male parrot, but this is indeed the case.
This is more common in some species of parrots than others. For example, cockatiels seem particularly prone to chronic egg laying. It is less common with Quaker Parrots, but every year I am contacted by several Quaker owners who report that their 5 or 10 year old bird just laid an egg for the first time.
These bird owners are concerned, and rightly so. For one thing, egg laying can sometimes leads to calcium deficiency and egg binding, where the bird is unable to pass the egg because the shell is too soft. Both can be very dangerous situations for the hen and can lead to death in some cases. This is why breeders give their birds supplemental calcium while they are producing eggs.
The other thing that happens during egg laying is that hens will often experience an undesirable personality change as instinct kicks in, and they become overly protective of their eggs. Fortunately, the "old" personality comes back when the egg laying cycle is over.
To understand how to help prevent chronic egg laying in parrots, it helps to understand what gets the process started in the first place. There are conditions that help bring a hen into "breeding condition" so that she begins producing eggs. These include the length of day, rainfall, and the availability of certain foods. Breeders often work very hard to get these conditions just right to help their birds begin producing eggs. When a bird goes into breeding condition, hormones are released that start the cycle of producing and laying eggs.
So when breeders want their birds to start laying, they gradually increase the number of hours that the birds have light, increase the availability of fresh foods and increase the amount of rainfall (or baths). I've found that if a pet owner does just the opposite, it usually stops the egg laying cycle or prevents it from starting altogether.
For owners who want to be proactive and decrease the chances of their parrots ever laying eggs, I recommend no more than 10-12 hours of light each day. In most cases, this will be sufficient to prevent egg production.
To disrupt egg laying that has already started, I would suggest immediately cutting back to no more than 8-10 hours of light. In addition, I would temporarily stop giving baths and cut back on fresh foods. I would also immediately begin adding a calcium supplement to the bird's diet. Once the egg laying has stopped, regular bathing and fresh foods can resume, and you can slowly increase the amount of light to 10-12 hours a day.
Every once in a while, a hen will continue to lay egg after egg even when the above steps are taken. If this happens with your bird, you should discuss the situation with a good avian vet. It's possible that the vet will suggest a hormone shot to get the egg laying stopped.
One question that always comes up is whether to leave the eggs in the cage or not. Everyone has their own opinion on this, but I would probably take them out and follow the advice given above to try to stop the egg laying cycle. Some feel that removing the eggs upsets the bird, but I have never noticed that to be the case when I've removed eggs in the past. However, you should listen to both sides and do what you feel makes the most sense for your parrot, just like anything else.
13 Comments on Chronic Egg Laying in Parrots »
June 22, 2007
christopher vargas @ 2:33 pm:
my quaker lade a egg yesterday and is not warming it up i need help.am happy because after 4 years they lade egg.am scared they wont hatch it. help me!
June 23, 2007
Margie @ 1:52 pm:
My Quaker has laid 3 eggs in the last two weeks. We have a big cage and she let them fall from the top! One broke and the other two I put in her nesting box, she is not paying any attention to them, should I do something to help her take care of them, or something to help them survive?
July 10, 2007
Brian @ 7:50 pm:
Hi My bird has also started to lay eggs.. But if there was no fertilization from a male then all you have is eggs.
August 20, 2007
lenae @ 2:22 pm:
if u have a male bird in the same cage as the hen then u might want to incubate them yourself or try to get her interested in them. But if u just have a female they wont grow and the best thing to do is take them out of the cage especially if she isent interested in them. it is just a cycle and u can go to your avian vet to get a hormone shot to stop the egg laying if it becomes a problem oryou dont want her to lay eggs.
October 11, 2007
Tracy @ 11:04 am:
A few months ago I bought a male & a female from a college student. They are in the same cage, and she told me that they will not lay eggs if there is no nest. Well, she laid two! I am a first time bird owner, what do I do?
October 28, 2007
annette @ 2:48 pm:
i have a 4yrs old eclectus name ruby. i already took her to the vet to get one egg out,now i think she is going to lay another one is there something i can do to help her pass this one looks like she's haveing a litttle problem. i hate to spend another 400.00 on a vet if there's something i can do my self this is her first time laying.
January 23, 2008
Karen @ 2:53 pm:
My quaker Idgie has turned into a demon attack bird. Sure do miss my Good Idgie Girl. I have spoken with her vet and a person that works with birds. She will never be that loving little girl again. She bites everytime you try to go near her and her cage. If I had known about this part of the bird I would not have gotten her. This sexual maturity thing is for the garbage, not birds. No one tells you about the attitude change that will happen in birds. They turn into demons that want nothing but to bite and bring blood.
Karen @ 2:57 pm:
That college student just wanted to get rid of the birds. I called my vet and spoke with him, and then called the animal rescue league in my area. The person the the rescue league was very helpful. I am finding out that I have lost the bird that I have loved so much for the past 3+ years. Hope that you can find help.
January 26, 2008
Toni McCarty @ 11:35 am:
How do you know that your bird has a egg stuck in her? I have a quarker that is 6 years old and she has been going through wanting to mate with things on her cage. She is very close to me and thinks I am her Mom. I hand rased her. She really do do a little crazy and started to bite me the other day. I have work with her and she is doing better. She have neever done this before. I was told to give her a cuttle bone but she does not like them. Is there something I can give her? I haope she does not lay a egg. Thank you for your help
January 27, 2008
totally new to owning conure/birds - BirdBoard.Com @ 5:28 pm (Pingback)
[…] her need to breed. I'm putting a link in to an article on chronic egg-laying for you to visit. Chronic Egg Laying in Parrots | QuakerParrots.com Good luck with your new baby, Stephanie __________________ Chubacca ((Bacca)) Yellow naped […]
February 18, 2008
Cathy @ 9:43 pm:
Hi my parrot layed an egg today!! She has no mate! Is she going to be okay? Or is there something I need to do?
March 9, 2008
Carol @ 11:25 am:
Our quaker parrot Kiwi just layed an egg last night, but she has no male! Is there a bird in it? What do I do so that the egg hatches with a baby inside? She thinks that there is a baby in the egg. Is there?
April 15, 2008
JASON @ 10:39 am:
Firstly, some of the grammar here is atrocious lol.
1.If your female bird (hen) is not in direct contact with a male bird of the same or sub species, the eggs cannot be fertilised, egg will never hatch, therefore, no offspring.
2.All female bird species will attempt to produce young at some stage if instinct and the right conditions say so.
3.If a birds cycle is subject to natural lighting conditions then its reproductive cycle will reflect this i.e notice all the birds mating, building nests, laying eggs, hatching young in our spring/early summer.
the birds recognise the longer days = warmth = food and extra feeding time..instinct tells them that now is the time to produce offspring and give them a fighting chance of survival.
Captive birds attempt to follow a cycle, although, we humans make it difficult for them. Captive birds are subject to the conditions which the owner sets .ie. lighting, food, nesting material etc.
4.Birds need UV light, UV does not travel thru windows. An Arcadia bird lamp set on a timer to come on hour after sunrise and off hour before sunset will do the trick. Lamp requires a reflector to direct UV and should be placed above cage or over a favourite perching point. If you can do one thing to help your bird then it has to be try and reproduce the outside light and give it UV. If you have a hen that constantly tries to breed then by using the Uv lamp and timer you can trick the bird into thinking that the conditions aint right for breeding ( delay adjustment on timer to spring time).
5.Deny the hen proper nesting materials, paper, plants, anything really if shes broody and take away snug tent or hobby hut( the dark enclosed area makes her feel safe and promotes egg laying)
6.Most captive birds have calcium and vitamin b-d deficiency, Uv lamp helps with vitamin issue but you need to somehow make sure your bird has calcium intake ither thru suppliment, cuttlefish or simply scrape to bits of cuttlefish to produce power and sprinkle over their normal food or little bit in water.Hens need calcium all the time not just at breeding time.
7. If your hen is looking down and ruffled and generally miserable then perhaps she cant pass her egg. Avian vet can rectify this but a helpful hint is to gently squeeze a little quality olive oil into the entance to her vent, it doesnt harm the bird and sometimes thats all that is needed.
8.Vary the size and texture of perches and clean well every week or sonner.
6.People forget that we are talking birds here (most only a few generations away from wild birds)dont humanise them.If a bird bites it may well just be thats it instinct and part of their character, some birds are screechers while others say nothing.Whatever they are remember that most birds are creatures of the flock, they love being with others and do not live solitary life, if you only have one bird then interact with it, spend a bit time playing and teasing with it. The worst thing ever is to see a docile exotic bird stuck in a small cage slowly going crazy.
ENJOY YOUR BIRD