HELP! my bird layed an egg!

[shanc21]

Hi,

I have a blue IRN female - rescued in July. I found her outside - caught her - put up posters, etc. - no luck finding owner. I adopted her. It was slow going taming at first. About mid December we had a breakthrough, and she has been very bonded to me since then. About a month or so ago, she started regurgitating to me, and also to tubes - paper towel tubes - she loves them.

Tonight she layed an egg in her food bowl.

I've had love birds in the past. I'm not completely unaware of Parrot breeding behaviors, but I don't know about IRNs specifically. And my lovebirds were a pair - when they laid, I let them raise the babies.

She does not have a mate and I am not trying to breed her. How do I help her finish this cycle and stay healthy and not get caught in this again?

Should I let her keep the egg in the food bowl? How many will she likely lay? Should I just make a new food bowl for actual food?

She loves paper towel tubes - to shred - I've been giving them to her daily as toys to entertain herself - did that encourage this behavior?

She is getting right at about 12 hours of light a day I think. She is by the window so she can watch the birds outside, and there is one lovebird in the room with her.

Y'all please help. She is cramming herself into her food bowl now - it doesn't look comfortable If I move the egg into a bigger bowl or something, will she accept it?

Thanks!

[sanjays mummi]

There are more experienced people than me, here. But I Do know animals won't breed etc unless their environment is conducive, shredding things mimics nest building, as these birds chew and shred tree trunks to hollow out a nest.
Personally I would leave the egg, I believe the limit is five, whatever you do Don't give her a nesting box, it's my view this just encourages it. Make sure her calcium levels don't become depleted. There are threads on this forum which may be more helpful.

[AJPeter]

My Alex hen laid so many eggs last year she had a prolapse, this was all my fault as l was giving her small card board boxes to rip up, keep your hen away from nesting material, put the egg on the grid or floor of the cage, do not take it away or she will lay again, she probably wont sit on them until she has finished laying and a clutch is 5. Also give her a bland diet if she wont stop laying switch to millet spray only. No fats, or sugar, reduce protein
foods and starch, make sure she has a cuttlefish bone to chew and increase her calcium intake with crushed oyster shell, She needs calcium to avoid egg binding. Make sure she has 14 hours total darkness , longer day light hours encourage laying. The normal laying period is November to April, Change the cage round regularly. Take Sanjay's Mummy's advice and read as much as you can on our site.

[shanc21]

Thanks y'all. She has only laid the one egg so far. Today would be the day for the second egg, so I'll see in the morning. She did go ahead and try to sit on the first egg which was in her food bowl. She looked very uncomfortable cramming herself in there. I moved it to a bigger bowl that she can sit in comfortably. I'm not trying to promote it but feel like I need to help her finish this cycle and then change things to keep it happening again. As long as she is insisting on sitting on them until she gets it out of her system, I want her to be comfortable. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow to make sure everything is OK and she is healthy enough for laying and to see what I need to do to not encourage it in the future. I do realize now in retrospect how I inadvertently encouraged it. Thanks for your help!

[AJPeter]

Nice to have follow up, so many we give advice and we never hear form them again, stay in contact.

[shanc21]

Thanks, I will.

We have three eggs now. They were laid Monday night, Thursday night, and Sunday morning. I'm wondering if the every third day pattern means anything - is this a clue she is older, or younger, or just a random thing could vary between hens no matter what?

The vet said she looked good. I'm just trying to keep her stress free and well fed so she can finish this cycle with no complications.

She is very cute getting all the eggs under her and settling down on them. Makes me sad for her that they will not hatch. I hope she will not be too upset.

Do they get depressed about this, or do they just accept it and move on?

Thanks for listening.

[AJPeter]

Billie laid an egg every two days although this year she laid three I put in two dummy eggs in the hope she would stop laying but no way there was nothing for 9 days and then another egg and 7 days later the last egg. Chickens lay every day. Start to worry if your hen lays egg No.6 drastic measures such as taking out most of the cage furniture moving the cage altering day light hours if she is still laying at No 9 contact the vet. Some times they get very hormonal and we make the mistake of feeding that problem by helping them to make nests with card boxes, and other things including paper, providing dark places does your hen fly out of the cage, does she land on the floor? My hen wants to go under my reclining swivel chair and l scared her when she was underneath by turning the chair. Oh Dear. She flew up and gave me a nasty bite on my neck she was going for the jugular! If a place has three sides it is deemed a perfect place and will be defended at any cost. Billie also scratches the carpet, l think she is trying to get nesting materiel and I stop her as quickly as l can, most of the time she is locked in her cage. The egg laying seasons starts in November and ends in April. But my hen laid in September the year before last so take all advice with a pinch of salt. All birds are different, you will find what works for someone else does not always work for you. But do not give up! Talking of Dummy eggs l bought some chalk ones but she ate those, your hen will when she is fed up with them eat them the incubation period is 28 days but because they are infertile they start smelling after two weeks but replace them with dummy eggs. I bought some plastic ones, she cannot eat them! Should you hen have a prolapse use sugar water to reduce the swelling until the vet can take over.

[shanc21]

She is holding at 3 eggs now since Sunday. I'm thinking it might just be three. Where can you get dummy eggs? Does anybody sell them?

[AJPeter]

Check the internet for Dummy eggs.inc, and Amazon sell them they are not very expensive. If your hen is sitting on them that could mean all she is going to lay, give her at least 28 days, but they will start to stink well before then one way is to boil her eggs and give them back to her cold that stops them stinking. When she gets tired of them she might break the shells. After she has given them up she might go in for a moult. Make sure you give extra calcium.