eggs?

[retronut]

hey all,

 

haven't posted much for a while but have been reading alot! something that has got me thinking is a post about egg laying. my grey Vince isn't sexed, i dont really know if he's male or female. Vince just stuck, and 'his' gender isn't important to me. getting back on track, what if he lays an egg? when do they start laying? at how old? how many eggs in a clutch? is this something all females do?

 

thanks to this site i know what to do if an egg appears but just thought id ask about beforehand, lol! Vince is only 7 months so im sure if he turns out to be a she i still have a while to wait before an egg may appear anyway :laugh:

[Dave007]

It's extremely rare that a male will lay eggs unless there's a fault in his genes. So obviously, the bird is a female.

Femles that have an over abundance of hormonal genes will lay an egg or two but that also is uncommon with greys. A female may do that when they're very mature--9 to 12 yrs old but it can happen with a very young bird too. It usually doesn't happen more than once. How many eggs will she lay can't be answered. Most lay one egg. If no male is around with her, fine. If there's another bird with her, the bird must be removed. The egg will be infertile especially at that age. Leave the egg with her for about 2 weeks. More than likely, that'll stop her from laying more. If the bird continually does this at that age, the bird needs to be examined by a vet who will examine internal organs.

[DavidH]

HI Brett,

 

Shanti is about the same age as Vince. I didn't care at first if he was M or F, but then we all got curious, especially when half the people were calling him "her" and half "him."

 

There's something subconscious about knowing the gender that bonds you more to the bird, I think. We just psychologically process everyone with gender as a feature.

 

Anyway, I'm glad we got him tested. The test only costs $20.

[she]

I had two tiels who lived together all their lives,one female one male. In all that time the female never layed an egg,yes they were male and female.I did not wish to breed them but I was always surprised by the lack of eggs.A friends two tiels were always laying.Does anyone know why this was.Sadley both are flying in heaven now but this always had me puzzled.

[danmcq]

Well Sheila, I can only speculate that they just didn't turn each other on and thus a platonic only relationship persisted. :-)

 

I am sorry to hear they are no longer with you.

[Char]

Brett, I would advise that the next time your bird is at the vet for the yearly check-up that you have a DNA done. It is not that expensive. I was not going to do one in the beginning just to satisfy my curiosity but the vet said their are medical reasons to know if the bird is male or female.

 

For example,egg binding is very dangerous for birds and would be quicker to suspect or rule out in a medical situation if you knew the sex of the bird.

[retronut]

thanks all! <br><br>Post edited by: retronut, at: 2009/02/15 21:36