Can a single bird lay

Fagan · Member Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 39

I have read on a couple of topics where birds have been on their own and laid eggs. Can a single female on her own also lay infertile eggs??? or am i just being ignorant?

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2259 Location: uk

Hi yes if all the conditions are right for the single female she will become broody and start laying eggs, these will be infertile due to no male being there to fertilise them..

Mike

Chezza · Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:59 am Post subject:

Ohhh yea, I have 4 female cockatiels and one of them, her name is pepper, she WONT stop laying, and its one after another..I beginning to worry that she's laying too much, even if I leave the egg in the cage, she still lays.. Rolling Eyes

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2259 Location: uk

usually to stop then laying, I Move the females into another cage remove anyhing that can used as a nest, Stop all soft foods, Reduce the amount of light they get a day and make it a little cooler on the room where there cages are, This is enough to stop my birds..

If shewill not stop then the only other choice is seeking advice from avian vet who will probably suggest having her oviaries removed which is a risk procedure he can also give a hormone shot to balance out her hormones a little.

Mike

Chezza · Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:08 am Post subject:

Thanks Mike...She is in an aivery with the other gals, but she still lays Question

I dont want her to become sick..As I know it takes alot out of their system, and Im putting all the right things back into her so she keeps condition, even though the others take it too.. The thing is she performs in front of them as if the other girls were males. .Anyway I have a spare cage, and I might isolate her..Hopefully that might stop her..The only thing is mike is that when she was laying before, and I had her inside with me, she would be submissive to me, like I was her partner..She Is SOOOO BROODY.... Shocked

She is a gorgeous bird, still very very young too.. I dont want to breed her either.. Any more suggestions Mike??? Neutral

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2259 Location: uk

How old is she now, this is a common problem with cockatiels especially females under 2years of age.

Cockatiels can be bred from 18months old but again if she is laying this bad she will probably be worse if she is bred or she may not lay at all.

When she treats you like her partner this shows how much she trusts you.
All i can really suggest if you do not want to try breed her and see what happens you can only just keep making sure she has plenty of cuttlefish this will keep her calcium levels up.

Mike

Chezza · Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 4:47 am Post subject:

She might be just over 2, just, to my recognition. She has laid a few more since..
She is still very Broody, but in good health, I'm making sure she has everything she needs..
She enjoys the company of the other gals and me, so shes happy. Very Happy

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2259 Location: uk

An avian vet can actually remove the ovaries to stop her reproducing but i do not recommend it as too much can go wrong.

You know your birds and if yu think she is not looking too good then a phone call to an avian vet to see what they suggest is in order.

Some birds are just very broody and like to lay eggs just for the sake of it.

Like i say putting her with a male may make her lay more or even stop her from laying..

Meeko the cockatiel i hand raised from 3days old used to lay all the time when on her own, now she had a couple of clutches and raised some chicks she does not lay that often think the last time she laid an egg was back in febuary...

Your ding everything right wth making sure she has plenty of cuttlefish and making sure her diet is ok then she will probably be fine, Just keep an eye on her, Have you tried teaching her some tricks see if that calms her down a little

Mke

Chezza · Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 11:14 pm Post subject:

Yea For sure, if theres any sign of her looking tired and run down I will IMMEDIATLY call the vet and take her.. Atm she's doing fine, looks good and healthy, I will take a picc of her later for you to see her..
Your the best

Sara · Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:24 pm Post subject:

I'm having the same problem with my Budgie... She's at least 6 years old now and so I'm baffled. We've recently moved and changed her cage which seems to have caused her to lay even more than before but she's been laying like crazy. Removed or not same as your cockatiel. I had put newspaper in her cage bedding and he was using that to nest with (not really next but mocked the bahavior) so I removed that this morning and the egg. We's down there again getting ready to lay another... She's got cuddlefish everywhere and vitamins and isn't looking bad. She's eating more of course but other than that...

It seems that it's not to worry though and she should stop. Already our home is cooler than our other place so I wouldn't want to put her in a cooler place. She's now in the dining/kitchen area where we spend most of our time, could that be causing the laying?

Sara

Chezza · Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:53 am Post subject:

Pepper laid another this arvo.. EEEEK.. Shocked

Iv left it in the cage this time.... I can hear her, when she get Broody, and starts, all those that know about them will know the sounds.. Rolling Eyes

.. Give me strength lol. Wink

I check on her everyday..To make sure she's doing good..
BUT I wish she would stop..