About Egg Laying

[Thomas J.]

Well I finally found out that my girl is really a girl since I was told she was that when I purchased her 5 yrs ago(she's 8yrs now) but was never told that she was DNA checked. Found a pretty good sized egg in her cage late this morning. I must say I'm not really thrilled this happened because now I have to be careful of egg binding I'm sure. My question is, what should I be doing now, giving more calcium? Part of her diet is almonds on a daily basis but is that enough now? She had her yearly exam last Sept. and everything was fine as far as any deficiencies go.

 

I believe I might be part of the reason she did this as she has really grown more fond of me in the past few months especially with the mating dance and trying to feed me. I try discouraging this but maybe I didn't try hard enough, something I will for sure be doing from now on. My biggest fear is her getting egg bound, what are some of the signs of this, I mean will the egg be stuck partially out?

 

Any advice on egg laying or how to discourage it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :cool:

[birdhouse]

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?52133-My-African-Grey-Just-Laid-An-Egg!!

 

 

Welcome to the club, Thomas. I've had a couple of laying hens. At the moment, it's my eclectus. She's been laying 2 clutches a year for about 5(?) years now. But I can't pretend I've ever gotten comfortable w/it. She has become egg bound.

 

Your girl should lay 1-3 eggs, 2-3 days apart. She should act broodie the night before or on each egg day. Depends on if she's laying them in the morning or later on. She might not want to eat. My ekkie has to be hand fed her favs for 3 days.

 

Sometimes, eggs are malformed or too soft among other reasons & they can't be pushed out. You might actually see a bump. You might not. Then she should be be vet checked right away to make sure the egg didn't rupture inside her. If you call because you even suspect egg binding especially a rupture, your vet should make emergency time for you that day. If not, replace them w/a certified avian vet immediately because this can become quite serious.

 

Meanwhile, the best defense is a good offense. Searching around & asking the forum is good. PM Dave007. He knows a bunch. Read everything you can from knowledgeable sources.

 

Then you should talk to your vet today. They should give you full instructions for care & complications.

 

I'd also advise setting up an egg box, just in case. I use a plastic cat carrier w/warm, slightly damp micofiber towel in the bottom. I put a heating pad underneath the carrier - not under the moist towel.

 

I've used red palm oil on the egg bump w/the best results. Always applied using a cotton ball vs finger to ensure there's not any pressure on the egg or abdomen. Then I wrap 'em up in a big blanket, in a quiet room for a couple of hours. So far, so good!

 

The most important advise - try not to worry. Easier said that done, righ? But we know it worries our fids when we worry. She doesn't need any stress right now. And, the huge percentage of hens lay their eggs with no problems at all. The odds are unquestionably in your favor here.

Edited May 4, 2016 by birdhouse

[Dave007]

Well I finally found out that my girl is really a girl since I was told she was that when I purchased her 5 yrs ago(she's 8yrs now) but was never told that she was DNA checked. Found a pretty good sized egg in her cage late this morning. I must say I'm not really thrilled this happened because now I have to be careful of egg binding I'm sure. My question is, what should I be doing now, giving more calcium? Part of her diet is almonds on a daily basis but is that enough now? She had her yearly exam last Sept. and everything was fine as far as any deficiencies go.

 

I believe I might be part of the reason she did this as she has really grown more fond of me in the past few months especially with the mating dance and trying to feed me. I try discouraging this but maybe I didn't try hard enough, something I will for sure be doing from now on. My biggest fear is her getting egg bound, what are some of the signs of this, I mean will the egg be stuck partially out?

 

Any advice on egg laying or how to discourage it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :cool:

 

It's not a common occurrence with greys but if it does happen, the grey will more than likely be an adult bird who's an adult bird. Greys very rarely get eggbound

General procedure is---The egg needs to be left alone with the female for a full incubation cycle which is 31 to 33 days or until she shows no interest in the egg. No nesting material should be put in. Eggs shouldn't be disturbed. If the egg is on the bottom of the cage, just leave it there.Extra attention shouldn't be given because the female may bite.The female will stat ignoring the eggs as she nears the end of her cycle. Only then should the eggs be removed one by one(if there's more than one egg) 1 every other day until they're gone. Remove any nesting material or what could possibly look like nesting material away from the cage, inside and out after the egg/eggs have been removed.

 

**mating dance and trying to feed me.** stop touching her or petting sensitive areas--upper and lower breast, near the tail. No special attention should be given. Don't change diet. There's a few other species of parrots where egg binding can happen frequently. Watch the general behavior all the time. It shouldn't change other than possibly some interest in the egg. Removing the egg right now will only cause her to produce another egg.

 

 

This was posted in 2007

 

My African Grey Just Laid An Egg!!

Someone else here just had had this happen to their grey only a few days ago. The person was equally in the dark about what was going on and what to do about it.

 

I can tell you that periodically this will happen to a mature female grey who has never mated before. Normally, there's nothing to worry about. To much over attention to this situation will make the bird edgy and uncomfortable. More than likely, she will lay some more eggs and that's not unusual. A congo grey's incubation period is 28 to 32 days. Anyeggs that are there should be left alone until that amount of time has passed. Nature will her that the eggs are infertile and she'll spend much less time with them to the point of ignoring them. That'll be the time to take out the eggs and discard them. If the eggs are taken out immediately, it will only cause the grey to create new ones which you don't wanna do. More than likely it won't happen again or it might happen again in the future. The cause of this to happen is an over abundent hormonal period. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. Continue with the same foods. Don't start moving things around in the cage and most importantly, don't make a big fuss over what she's doing. Peeks here and there will tell you everything you want to know. Get a calendar and mark off the day you saw the first egg. Let 30 days go by or when your grey shows no interest in the eggs. Your biird might start eating less and then eat a lot. Not to worry, it's normal. The bird won't starve itself.

 

The only time to really worry is when a person has a DNAd guaranteed male and he lays an egg. That type of bird is classified as one who has an identity problem and psychiatrics are then implemented.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Dave007

[judygram]

So far Josey has not laid any eggs and she is going on 10 years but my sun conure has had several clutches with 2 to 3 eggs each time, so far no problems. I allow her to "sit" on her eggs for a period of time and then like Dave said I take away one and then a couple days later take another and so forth.

[Thomas J.]

Thanks so much for that useful info especially that article from 2007 Dave. My next few questions would be, since the egg is just laying at the bottom of the cage and the protocol would be not to remove it, how would I change the papers as I usually do on a daily basis? Would I change them and try to put the egg or eggs back in the same spot? Also I've been reading about using fake eggs so as not to encourage her to lay more eggs after the first one. Any thoughts on this, and thanks again for the help. :-)

[judygram]

Would I change them and try to put the egg or eggs back in the same spot?

 

Yes, that is what you could do if she will allow you to touch them.

 

[Thomas J.]

Well its been 3 days now and so far no more eggs. I should have mentioned that she had nothing to do with the egg from the start. Before I read up on not taking the egg out, I had already done so and was assuming from what I read there would be others by now. I should also add that this bird has never been so close to me. She never bites like she sometimes used to and for sure she would never let me pick her up by grabbing her body, only a step up. Now she does absolutely nothing when I pick her up, she almost seems like she's someone else, not the same bird I'm used to having. In a way it's great that we're so close, but dang she doesn't want me out of her sight and when I am she's constantly making that high pitched sound that greys are known for. I'm hoping this is something that will pass in time. :-)

[Dave007]

Well its been 3 days now and so far no more eggs. I should have mentioned that she had nothing to do with the egg from the start. Before I read up on not taking the egg out, I had already done so and was assuming from what I read there would be others by now. I should also add that this bird has never been so close to me. She never bites like she sometimes used to and for sure she would never let me pick her up by grabbing her body, only a step up. Now she does absolutely nothing when I pick her up, she almost seems like she's someone else, not the same bird I'm used to having. In a way it's great that we're so close, but dang she doesn't want me out of her sight and when I am she's constantly making that high pitched sound that greys are known for. I'm hoping this is something that will pass in time. :-)

 

Well its been 3 days now and so far no more eggs.

that's not unusual. I didn't think there would be any more.

 

I should have mentioned that she had nothing to do with the egg from the start

That's also a good sign that it was all hormonal which is not unusual.

Now she does absolutely nothing when I pick her up, she almost seems like she's someone else, not the same bird I'm used to having. In a way it's great that we're so close, but dang she doesn't want me out of her sight and when I am she's constantly making that high pitched sound that greys are known for. I'm hoping this is something that will pass in time. :-)

there's nothing wrong with being close and friendly with her. Just don't pet those areas that I mentioned.

 

making that high pitched sound that greys are known for. I'm hoping this is something that will pass in time

Making noise is something that no one can tell you about although yhings should go back to normal after some time has passed. Maybe a few weeks. maybe a few days. That has to do with your bird.

[Thomas J.]

Thanks Dave for the comments. :-)

[Thomas J.]

Well heck, I found egg #2 laying at the bottom of the cage this morning. It looks like she drops them from her perch while she's up there sleeping because both eggs were broken from the fall. Guess I'll have to order those fake eggs, they sure are expensive though. :-(

[Inara]

Well heck, I found egg #2 laying at the bottom of the cage this morning.

 

Thanks for posting this thread. Since my TAG is now more mature, it was really good for me to review the tips and Dave's suggestions for how to handle this situation if it shows up. Good luck with your girl and hope all continues to go well through this process.

[judygram]

There usually is more than just one egg so I am not surprised, those fake eggs might be worth the money.