Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 5/27/2007

Question
Hi,
I have what I believe to be a male and a female parakeet. They have laid eggs before, but all of them were not fertile, and they would eat them which i later found out was a calcium problem, but I have a cuttlebone so I dont understand why that would happen. The last about 2 1/2 weeks id say the bird has layed eggs on the bottom of the cage and began to sit on them, i placed a rag into the cage and she dragged the eggs onto it and has been sitting there continuously. I wanted to try to candle the eggs but she gets very angry whenever I put my hand anywhere near the cage. The eggs seem to have growin in size, but im not really 100% sure. What is going on? Are the eggs possibly not even fertilized? Shes never sat on them this long before she used to lay them and just abandon them!!! PLEASE HELP!1 IM SO WORRIED!!! thanks!

Answer
Hi, Michele.

Egg eating is a terrible, bad habit that some birds acquire for some reason.  Doesn't necessarily mean calcium deficiency.  You may have a cuttlebone available, but are they eating it?  Birds need sufficient calcium in their bodies BEFORE egg laying begins.  Most egg-eaters don't get over this bad habit and it's necessary to separate the birds and not allow them to breed.  However, this depends on when the birds are eating their eggs.  In other words, some birds eat/destroy their eggs after about 10 days if the eggs are not fertile.  Birds know at about 7-10 days after incubation has begun whether their eggs are viable or not.  Some continue to incubate anyhow, others destroy their eggs.  Are your birds at least 12 months old?  They need to be at least a year old before allowing them to breed.  Perhaps this is part of the problem.  Also, some birds destroy their eggs if they feel their offspring would be in some type of danger.

The eggs are not growing.  Yes, it's possible none of the eggs are fertile.  However, it takes 18 days from the date incubation begins for keet eggs to hatch, if they are going to hatch.  

Are you sure of the sexes of your birds?  Females can lay infertile eggs without a male being present.  How many eggs are being laid?  If there are more than 6 eggs being laid, you might have 2 females laying infertile eggs.  Also, since no nesting box is present, they may be eating their eggs since there's no nest.

First of all, be sure of the sex of your birds.  Males usually have all-blue ceres (colored area above the beak); females have white/brown/beige/tan ceres.  Make sure your birds are over 1 year old before allowing them to breed.  If you want them to breed, put up a nesting box for them to lay their eggs in.  If you don't want them to breed, separate them.  If they are old enough, have a nesting box available, but still eat their eggs, I'd say you probably need to separate these birds and not allow them (or at least the one that destroys the eggs) to mate at all.  I'd have to have lots more information/details to be able to help further.

Chrys