Expert: Abi - 7/14/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hello, and thank you for being able to hopefully respond to my question.  A
very strange thing has happened recently.  We had two parakeets and were
told that one was male and one was female.  The female one died (december
2007) and the male one was left.  After a while (about . . . april/may 2008) we
gave this bird a plum to eat, as one of our relatives told us it may induce
breeding and laying eggs.  Soon enough, this bird had laid three eggs.  Now,
it is obviously not a male, but it has started to lay eggs again without the
fruit. (July 11-13)  I was wondering how this has happened, as it hasn't had a
male to fertilize the eggs . . . and it had been eight years since we received
this bird.  Is it possible to have a bird fertilize eggs by itself?

Thank you for your time,
Sofie

ANSWER: No, it is totally impossible for it to fertilise eggs by itself. It needs to mate with a male.

Thanks for your question.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well, if the eggs are not fertile, is it possible that the bird can lay eggs
singlehandedly like that?

Answer
Yes, absolutely. When birds are in their cycle they will lay lots of eggs. Ever wondered how chickens lay one a day without a rooster? Chickens have been bred to lay an egg a day, but your parakeets will only lay when they're in their cycle. A bird doesn't have to mate for it to lay an egg. It will still lay it but it will be infertile.

Thanks for your question.