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Budgies/budgies laying eggs
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Question
We have an 8 year-old budgie in a cage with 4 others. Recently she started
laying eggs, but doesn't seem to notice that she's doing it. There are 3 eggs
at the bottom of the cage now that the males seem to push around and bury
in the kabob, but none of them seem to be sitting on them or trying to hatch
them. Is it ok if I throw them out when I clean the cage?
Hi, Gail,
She knows she's laying eggs because it isn't easy for her to do so. And if she were dropping them from a perch or other, they would break. Therefore, she must be going to the cage bottom and laying them purposely. If you remove these eggs, the female will most likely continue to lay and lay and lay. Therefore, leave the eggs right where they are and allow her to abandon them on her own before you remove them. She probably isn't incubating them because of the other birds in the cage. Most keets won't incubate eggs laid on cage bottom when other birds, particularly females, are in the same cage. If none of the birds care for these eggs, then throw them away as if they aren't incubated, they won't hatch, if they are fertile to begin with. To keep her from continuing to lay, reduce their available light to 10-12 hours per day (8-10 hours if necessary). Be sure there is cuttlebone in the cage to replenish any calcium loss/deficiency.
The males may not be sitting on these eggs if they aren't the fathers. Female birds can lay infertile eggs without having mated with a male. Hormonal activity causes this and breeding season is in full swing! Are any of the males her mate? You'd know because the male mate will regurgitate food to her beak-to-beak. If she doesn't have a mate (pair-bonded to a male), these eggs are most likely infertile.
Chrys
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 7 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | I watched her lay one of the eggs. She was standing on the perch and the egg plopped out onto the kabob. I don't know if she laid the other eggs from the perch, but this one did not break. It plopped into the kabob on the bottom of the cage and sat there. The green male (about 2 years old) went down there and buried the egg in the kabob. I moved the female into a separate cage with her eggs, but she showed no interest in them. The green male did enter the cage and bury the eggs a couple of times, but did not attempt to incubate them. The female has not laid anymore since I posted my question. I am planning to throw the eggs away soon, and allow her to return to the big cage. Thank you for your input. | ||
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Chrys Meatyard
Expertise
I`ve been raising/breeding/handfeeding/selling parrots for over 20 years (parakeets/budgies, cockatiels, 6 subspecies of conures, parrotlets, amazons, lovebirds, etc.). I've been published in "Budgies" and "Cockatiels" offered by Bow Tie Productions, and have written avian articles for publication in England. I can provide advice in raising healthy birds, handfeeding/weaning babies, some health problems, nail/beak/wing clipping, general husbandry, etc. I also have experience with racing/showing homing pigeons. I cannot diagnose specific illness over this website. If you suspect your bird is ill or if you have an emergency, contact a certified avian veterinarian or emergency pet clinic ASAP.
Experience
Over 20 years breeding/raising/handfeeding/selling 15 different species of parrots.
Education/Credentials
American Federation of Aviculture, completed Level I course, Fundamentals of Aviculture. Keeping/breeding parrots and other birds for over 20 years.
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