about my budgregar?

Question

i have a budgerigar .we brought her since she was about 6 wks. so she knows us especially me as if she is our baby. she's been laying eggs for most of the time. and because there's no male bird we throw the eggs away . and it really breaks my heart as if they are babies. but she lives in the kitchen and goes in and out of her cage. we didn't want anymore birds as we haven't got much time for the hatchings.

Answer 1

To decrease the egg laying, or hopefully eliminate it, decrease the mating triggers.

There is a stimuli in the environment that is making her believe it's mating season. Some people may tell you to get a male or get a brooding/nesting box. Do not do this. It only encourages her grumpy mating behaviour which is not pleasant for you, having to deal with it, or for her, having to lay eggs (very stressful on her body) and sit on them only to realize a month later she's wasted her energy on eggs that didn't hatch. And if ever a male does fertilize the eggs and by chance, they do hatch for whatever reason, the parents are absolutely exhausted by caring for the chicks.

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. If there's some left over, you'll know she eats a bit less. 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.

If she is consistently laying eggs over a prolonged period of time, her calcium levels will be very low - maybe even dangerously low at one point, but that's for an avian vet to determine. I suggest you take her to see a certified avian vet (not your average cat/dog vet) and see what they can suggest if this ever becomes a problem. The above suggestions I gave are to minimize mating season triggers, and they've worked for my four hens. If she lays more and more eggs, her body becomes more and more exhausted, tapping out many important nutritional resources she needs for herself much more than she needs for some dead eggs.

When she does lay eggs, do NOT take them away. Since they're infertile, wait for her to lay an entire clutch (3-6 eggs) and when she gets up and leaves them to be her friendly self before all of the mating hormones got rushed up, and you can tell that she's tired of sitting on them and no longer interested (natural incubation is about 20 to 30 days, that'll be the approximate time she'll get up and leave for good), throw them out.

To counteract the calcium loss of laying eggs, feed her some leafy greens. Romaine lettuce, broccoli, spinach, and kale are fantastic, but be careful with spinach and kale. They have so much calcium that too much will bind calcium and flip the effects. Also, she should be on a pellet-based diet. The best, high quality pellets that I've seen drastic changes in through my birds are Harrison's, Roudybush, and Zupreem. Pellets are more balanced diets and the biggest change was the brightness in the eyes and softness of plumage. About 80% should be pellets, 10% seeds, and about 10% pasta, fresh fruits and veggies, and grains, give or take a bit from each percentage to your liking.

As a side note, I highly suggest you move the cage. Cooking fumes, and if you use non-stick coated cookware, can cause the death of birds either slowly by breaking down at their sensitive respiratory systems or quickly in the case where they simply drop dead. Also, if she's going in and out, it's a hazard when you can't be there to supervise 100% if she gets into something bad. Even so much as a glass of water sitting out can leave you with a drowned bird in a matter of a couple of minutes. It's much, much worse when someone is cooking.

Good luck.

Answer 2

The eggs aren't fertile.

You are encouraging her to lay more by getting rid of the eggs before she has time to sit on them and give them up. Let her sit on them, for her health, again, they will not hatch. She should give them up in about 18-21 days. At that point it is safe to throw them away.

She is becoming a chronic egg layer. This is a medical problem! She needs to have her ammount of light lowered to 12 hours or less.

Next, the kitchen is the worst place for a pet bird. The fumes that come off of some cookware are fatal! Please find a new place for her in the house.

Please read the following articles on chronic egg laying. I don't want you to loose your baby to egg binding.


Chronic Egg Laying



Natural Antibiotics / Strengthening Your Immunesystem Naturally ... General Avian Health References

The process of producing and laying an egg is stimulated by many factors: length of day, availability of food, mate behavior, rainfall, competition for nesting sites - these are some of factors that can stimulate hens to lay an egg. It is not necessary that an egg be fertilized before it can be lain. In fact, a mate does not even need to be present for a female to lay eggs.

Chronic egg laying will deplete calcium, thus causing myriad health problems. One of which is the condition known as hypocalcemia, also known as egg binding. With calcium at a low level, the uterine muscles are unable to contract and push the egg out. Hypocalcemia can also cause seizure-like activity and brittle bones, which can be easily fractured. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to prevent excessive egg laying.

Breeder often theorize that you have two females, if you find eight or more eggs in a nest. But in the past, I had a pair of lovebirds with TEN eggs in their nesting box, and they were indeed a compatible pair, as proven by the chicks that hutched.

This situation definitely leaves the breeder with a problem - to stop them from 'overdoing it' in the future in order to ensure their continued good health



Recommended Measures:
The first step in treating chronic egg laying is to put your bird on a complete diet. A bird that is on an balanced diet is in little danger of the health problems associated with chronic egg laying.

Remove nesting box and nest-making material. Move single birds or pairs to a different location (new cage, new room or aviary) or, if necessary, separate pairs. I personally don't like the last measure of separating pairs for sentimental reasons: I hate the idea of splitting up bonded pairs. But many excellent breeders practice and swear by this method.

Please note that my particular experience of a true pair laying 10 eggs is the exception to the rule ... in many cases, the "eight eggs or more" rule applies as indication that two females are 'trying to raise a family.' Having birds sexed before setting them up for breeding will eliminate this possibility.

NEED A VET?
USA: http://www.aav.org/vet-lookup/

Answer 3

that's the resopnsible decision. Birds are very difficult to breed correctly and can be heartbreaking at last I knew 50% hatch rate. Don't be sad- the eggs are not fertilized they are as good as what you eat for breakfast. If you realy want another bird try your local bird shelter they always are looking for good homes for their birds