Single 17yr Old Caique Laying Eggs for the First Time

[LynnC]

Sorry... I know I was supposed to do an introduction type message, but I'm rather worried for Kiki (key key) a 17 yr old caique who was still a baby...a fully feathered and weaned baby when she came to me as a very special gift. Kiki has just recently (this week) laid three eggs. No changes at all in diet, toys, care, etc. I can't think of what stimulated her into egg mode, but now that she is I'm worried for her. I've heard all kinds of horror stories about females getting egg bound or an egg breaking in the cloaca and I'd be devastated if anything happened to my feathered friend of nearly 2 decades!

I've taken away anything she could possible see as nesting material... a tightly balled sheet of newspaper that she used to love to shred to pieces, but didn't this time around, egg cartons cut in half for the same fun shredding activity, and paper towel rolls that I'd unfurl for her so she didn't get her head stuck in them. She still has two eggs. I'd read to leave them in with her to hopefully stop her laying anymore. She's spending a lot of time with them at the bottom of her cage. The eggs are not together anymore...she moved one to the corner and is mostly with that one. Other than the eggs, and not tearing apart her previously enjoyed paper items, she's eating well and seems fine. I hate to admit it, but the near constant "clucking?" when she's with the eggs is starting to grate on the family a bit. We all love her, especially me as I'm her person, but the sound is pretty persistent.*sigh*

I'm keeping a very close eye on her for any signs of stress, which thankfully so far there are none (other than my own), but is there anything I can do for her in the meantime? Should I give her some mashed hard boiled egg to help with calcium or will that just promote more egg laying? We have another smaller, but more than suitable size, parrot cage we could house her in for a time if that would disrupt this sudden nesting behaviour? Right now she's in an Amazon, Cockatoo sized cage since she's normally so active and uses every inch of it. Maybe if we took out most of her regular toys and added some new ones would that help at all, a change in scenery? Would that be enough to distract her from her new maternal mode?

I apologize for how long this post got! I tend to be a worrier in general when it comes to my wonderful animal companions so something like this just puts it into high gear and I just want to do right by her. Thanks for reading this small novel and for any suggestions you may have!

Lynn Cameron

 

[Scott]

Welcome Lynn and Kiki, thanks for the lovely introduction! More information is generally better than less!

Wish I knew more about breeding behaviors, though it is the season if you are in the Northern Hemisphere. You are correct having concerns about calcium depletion and egg-binding. An amazon/cockatoo sized cage is terrific, the largest cage feasible is best, providing the bar-spacing avoids the hazards of a stuck head.

Lets see how many responses you receive. If not sufficient, you might consider creating a new post (slightly altered to avoid duplicate posting) in the Breeding Forum.

 

[MonicaMc]

This is generally what I recommend for egg-laying hens. (X-post)

1. Remove Eggs
   • Rearrange the cage
   • Move the cage to a new location
   • Use a cage grate
   • Get a new cage/Use a different cage
   • 12-14 hours of complete darkness (may require as much as 16 hrs for 2 weeks - or try providing the opposite, as little as 8 hrs of sleep)
   • Full Spectrum Lighting/Better Lighting
   • Lower the indoor temperature
   • Decrease calcium and protein within the diet (if she is on a high calcium & protein diet prior to laying eggs)
   • Remove anything that could be taken as a nest
   • Remove anything that could be used as nesting material
   • Don't allow her in any dark place or enclosed area
   • IMPORTANT: save the eggs in the fridge
   • If she lays more than 3-4 eggs, put them back in the cage
2. Leave the Eggs
   • Leave the eggs alone in the cage
   • [Optional] Replace with fake eggs (prevent eggs from breaking)
   • Increase calcium
   • Let hen sit on eggs for 3-4 weeks or until she gets bored of them
   • Once done sitting, toss

Generally speaking, there are triggers to hens laying eggs, and if you can remove the triggers, you may be able to stop the egg laying. Triggers can include toys that she can lay in, a plastic base to a cage, nesting material (i.e. cage bedding), a diet high in protein and fat, too much or not enough light, quality of light, etc. All things that should be considered. Removing the triggers to egg laying should be considered *FIRST* before any drastic measures should be taken. You never know, it could be something simple!

 

[LynnC]

Thank you all so much for your very kind and helpful replies! I guess I should make a proper intro post now that I've done my panic post! lol I'll try to get to it soon seeing how I've got lots of work with cage swapping and even room rearranging to get done.

Kiki has been my sweet...cranky, but sweet, little clown for 17 years and that's a long and very cherished friendship that I'd do anything to prolong to it's fullest! We are going to do a full change to her environment this weekend...cage, toys, and location. My husband is looking for her original cage we stored away. It's the same size cage as our Amazon named Charlie is in. He's the opposite of Kiki, he hates having a big cage so we swapped them. lol If I had a nickel for everytime I was asked, "Why is the bigger bird in the smaller cage?", I could buy the fanciest aviary! lol Folks just don't understand how much energy is packed in that little caique body and how big a bird they truly are personality wise. : )

When I rescued Charlie he was in an extremely small cage...barely suitable for a cockatiel...actually I do believe it's used to be marketed as a cockatiel cage by Hagen. When we bought him the big cage he hated it and was so stressed and unhappy. We met Charlie halfway with a cage he was comfortable with...bigger than what he'd had, but smaller than what we'd have wanted for him. To our great relief he's been a very happy and thankfully well-adjusted boy for the last 19 years. While I'm the bird lover, Charlie fell in love with my husband, the bird admirer. Almost love at first sight and absolutely head over heels! But...he's a very kind soul who allows me the pleasure of great conversations and head scratches...especially if there are pin feathers involved. lol My hubby may have the biggest share of Charlie's heart, but it's my voice that he really seems to enjoy. It's all dilating pupils and contented clucking!

Thanks again for the great advice and the warm welcome! I'm very new to forums and am still trying to figure out how it all works with the different threads, etc. Hopefully I'll be a quick study and not make too many errors on this great site. : )