Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 12/31/2006

Question
Thank you so much for the previous info, here are my new questions:  My birds have been feeding each other beak to beak lately.  One bird bobbed it's head up and down and then fed the other - is it regurgitating?  Also, I witnessed the mating of these birds or at least the attempt to mate - do these behaviors confirm that they are male and female?  Or do I still need to determine the sex of these birds?  

Obviously I didn't have a nesting box available to them (didn't think I needed to with two females) but is this something that I should consider getting sometime soon?  Do these boxes sit in the cage or are they attached?

I've been searching the web for info on this stuff and haven't found anything that addresses my situation.  I am quite the animal lover and hated losing this first egg.  I want to be better prepared for the next time, if there is one.  Thank you for any info you can provide.   
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have a pair of love birds that I have had for 2 1/2 years.  When my husband bought them he was told they were females.  They have always been totally bonded to each other.  It appears now that they are actually male and female because I found an egg in their cage.  I never considered the idea of breeding them (since they were supposed to be females!) but now I feel compelled to learn all I can so another egg doesn't go to waste.  How often do they mate?  Are there signs to look for to tell me they are getting ready?  Should a nesting box be provided all the time or only after a certain point in the mating process?  Thank you for any information you can provide.
-----Answer-----
Hi, J.  Thanks for posting!

Females can lay infertile eggs without a male.  So it's possible you have 2 females.  A male and female might mate several times per day or they might only mate one time...it depends on the individual birds.  

Usually, when a person wants their birds to mate/lay eggs, a nesting box is put up.  A nesting box is for the female to lay eggs in, incubate those eggs, hatch babies, and keep babies in until the babies fledge and leave the nest (or you pull the babies for handfeeding, which is a must if you want tame babies).  The nesting box should only be used for this purpose.  A nesting box is a signal to a pair of birds to go to nest.  Sometimes, birds will lay their eggs without a nesting box up, but this isn't the desired situation.  Is there a nesting box up or have they laid in the cage bottom?  Is one bird feeding the other beak-to-beak?    

Visit my website for some information you will need:

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

You have a lot to learn quickly if these birds are laying eggs!  However, you really need to determine the true sexes of your birds so you'll know if the eggs can even be fertile or not.  You can candle any eggs when they are about 10 days old to see if they are fertile (which will tell you if you have a male), but the female needs to be able to start incubating any eggs laid before you can do this.

Come back with any additional questions.

Chrys

Answer
Hi again, Jayne.

1.  Yes, when a male feeds the female beak-to-beak, he is regurgitating food to her.  

2.  If one is feeding the other beak-to-beak, that one is the male and the one being fed is the female.

3.  Do not get and put up a nesting box unless you want your birds to mate and lay eggs.  You have much to learn before you allow them to lay eggs (although they may lay eggs before you learn enough and before you get a nesting box).  A nesting box can be attached from outside the cage or you can place it inside the cage if the cage is large enough.  I prefer attaching it outside the cage so I can have access to the lid on the outside so I can check what's going on inside the box and to clean out the box, etc.

Since these birds are already laying, you might need to put up a nesting box if you want to save eggs/babies.  However, I can't stress enough the need for you to know what you're doing before getting involved in all of this.  Once they start laying and problems crop up, you'll need to know what to do immediately, not to mention what happens once babies arrive.  You can find lots of information on the internet.  However, you need to search using the right search string in order to bring up what you need!  You also might want to subscribe to some parrot magazines, such as Bird Talk, and/or purchase some good books on these subjects you can reference.

Chrys