Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 10/8/2007

Question
i have 2 budgies both female one or maybe both of them dont know which keep laying eggs over the last six months. they make no attempt to sit on them . do i leave the eggs in the cage and supplement their diet how do i go about stopping this behaviour. as they are both becoming quite thin and keep molting.they have cuttle fish, grit, austrlian sand and fresh greens available at all times along with their general seed.

Answer
Hi, Liz,

You should leave the eggs alone until the birds abandon their eggs on their own.  Otherwise, they will continue to lay and lay and lay.  If they don't pay any attention to them AT ALL after they've been laid, then you can remove them after they are finished laying, not as the eggs are laid.  Your birds need cuttlebone to supplement calcium loss.  If these birds are getting thin, they could be ill.  Weight loss is a sign of illness.  You need to take them to a certified avian vet for a medical evaluation.  Their continuous molting could be related to environmental conditions and/or could be related to their poor diet.  You don't need to supplement their diet just because they are laying eggs, except for the cuttlebone.  However, if your birds are thin, they need as many calories as they can get to get some meat on them.  But, you need to ensure they aren't getting thin due to illness by seeking avian vet attention for them.  

Restrict their available light to 10 hours per day only to help discourage egg laying.  Also, an avian vet can give them a hormone shot to stop their laying for a period of time (usually about 9 months).  Make sure there is nothing in their cage to resemble a nest.  

Take the grit and sand away from them.  These products can impact their crop, which requires surgery to correct.  Birds that hull seed don't need grit/sand.  An all-seed diet is a poor diet for a bird.  Your budgies need a variety of food...see my website for more information on diet:
www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

Chrys