my parakeet won't stop laying eggs and she's missing feathers on her stomach?

Question

She's already laid 15 eggs and she still won't stop. She's also missing feathers on her stomach. What's wrong with her?

Answer 1

She's using her feathers to make a nest, provide her with nesting material you can buy at the store. she will never stop laying eggs, as this is a natural process, just as human women go through cycles.

Answer 2

She sounds like a chronic egg layer already (if the 15 eggs are all in one clutch), which is something quite worrying. I would take her to see a certified avian vet where they can determine what to do with her and her clearly lacking calcium levels. Laying eggs drains tons of nutrients from her body that she needs for herself. Her losing feathers seems like a deficiency or she's frustrated or may have something on her skin. Again, a vet can determine this best.

I'm not a vet, but I think you'll want to consider the option of calcium injections if she's laying so often. Are you removing the eggs as she lays them? If you are, STOP. Removing the eggs tells her she needs to lay more to replace them and continue her species, with or without a male. The environment tells her to. After about a month, or whenever she gets off of the eggs and returns to her normal self, throw the eggs out.

Limit the mating triggers or eliminate them, if possible.

The best way to deal with this is cover her cage in darkness for at least 12 hours a night and those 12 hours need to be totally silent. Monitor her food intake.

Give her only the amount of food you know she will eat because knowing there's extra will suggest there's enough to feed babies. Re-arrange her cage totally. Even move it to a different room, but change everything within it too.

Get new toys and new perches and swap them for every single thing in her cage right now. If her environment is unstable and changing, she won't want to have young living in these conditions in their early hatchlinghood.

If you're petting her anywhere but on the head, stop. Petting on the belly, back, tail, and under the wings are especially important places to avoid touching. This stimulates her in the way a mate would and makes her think to lay more eggs again.

Don't give her any places to hide or nest in her cage and avoid letting her near nesting material. If she has paper lining the bottom of her cage without a barrier between it and her, get a grate and put down so she can't reach the paper.

Leafy greens are also rich in calcium, specifically kale and spinach. However, these should not be served at every single meal because over-feeding of either one could bind calcium and be counterproductive.

Good luck.

Answer 3

There are hormonal changes that occur with amount of light a bird receives. Birds need 12 hours of darkness a day.Removing a nest box, mirrors, a favorite toy can help. Even rubbing the bird's belly can be interpreted as copulation.In her case remove her eggs in 21 days. I hope this helps. She may make a great breeding bird in the future, In the meantime increase her protein and calcium intake, since it takes a lot of nutrition and energy to lay eggs. Besides her pellet food, small amount of seeds, fruits and veggies, add chopped cooked egg with crushed egg shell. Good luck and have a tweet year.

Answer 4

You may be removing the eggs. Don't do that. If you remove them, they will keep laying. She is losing calcium so you need to replace it, and don't worry about the feathers right now. Normally they will lose them or seem to spread them open on the stomach so they can sit on the eggs and keep them warmer. If she keeps laying, take her to the vet (or call a vet to ask.)
You can remove the eggs in a few weeks when she loses interest in sitting on them.

Answer 5

i agree with whate firestart... said. If she isn't already, try to get her onto a regular light/dark cylce. If she already is, then try increasing her darkness. (light has alot to do with sex hormones in birds). Also be very careful she doesn't become egg bound. Watch for signs of straining and swelling of the lower abdomen. You should look for an avian vet so you know who to call should problems arise. Make sure she is eating well as already mentioned. And she is probally pulling feathers out for a nest. Also if she is with a male I would separate them, put them in different rooms.

Answer 6

Don`t worry this is normal thats why seperate my parakeets so they wont mate because it said it can go out of control to the 200`s range and more I recommend you seperate the two and change her diet carefully and the feathers don`t worry she is either going through a molt or it is an effects with the babies

Answer 7

When hens are molting they stop laying because they use all energy to produce new feathers. Most of my hen are molting right now or just finished.

Answer 8

Make sure she gets calcium.

Making those egg shells takes a lot of calcium out of them.

Answer 9

maybe shes molting. the missing feathers is not bad. lol your question made me laugh. she wont stop laying eggs? well i dont no what to say abotu that. fry em up and invite the neighbors over!

Answer 10

PinkDagger said it perfectly! Here is a link to look up an avian vet in your area http://aav.org/vet-lookup/