oh boy.

[looniebirds]

Babycakes has an egg, again!

[Debz]

ya know, I still have a hard time thinking of Babycakes as a girl.

[Jadesmom]

I knew it when I saw the thread.    Babycakes, thats enough!

[BPMar]

I will now go out to our fire-pit and fill it with sacred herbs and do the anti-egg chant dance!!   
Enough already from all our egg laying fiddies!

[Ditty]

UGH! 
Well at least this time you know what to expect.

[wishforabird]

I read recently that you should take the eggs ASAP, ( I think it was the latest Bird Talk) and it will stop the behavior of nesting with the particular egg in its tracks. I leave the cover of Stellalunas cage on a quarter of the way and close the shade to the room earlier in the day, she is not so evil now.

[BPMar]

I will have to look into that Wishy.  I always thought if you took the egg away it would just put them in mode to lay more for a full clutch.  This may be interesting.....

[wishforabird]

oh geez! don't quote me I am no expert LOL, but I thought of Loonz when I read this and how she went back to normal as soon as the egg was gone.  how long ago was that, I forgot... 

[BuffaloParrot]

If you take the egg a way chances are they will go more into egg laying mode.  Don't know what BT is talking about here unless I really missed something in the past?  When Miah first started laying her 14 eggs out of 28 days we took out the first one or two.  She kept going on even stronger.  Funny thing is she barely paid attention to the eggs that were already laid and piled up   Maybe different species react differently but I would keep the eggs, replace them with artificial, or shake them if you think they may be fertile and do not want babies.

[Sondra]

Some birds, such as Cockatiels sit on their eggs as soon as they are laid, other birds, such as Cockatoos will lay all their eggs and then sit on them. Most birds lay every other day, some lay every day. If you take the eggs you WILL encourage your hen to lay more. Frequent laying can cause calcium depletion which in turn can cause egg-binding. Provide extra calcium in their food by offering more greens, such as Kale, mustard green, dandilion greens, do NOT offer spinach more than once a week as it can make your bird sick. Anything you offer should be washed and free of pesticides.

[Jadesmom]

I pulled Buddy's eggs, but after she was done with her clutch and sat on them a while. If you take them immediately, quakers at least, will continue to lay to make that clutch. Same with the finches. If say one is laid and gets broke, they immediately lay again. Mine have 4 now and I will let them keep for a week and a half or so... Then after I take them, she will take a short break for a while.

[wishforabird]

wow, I am sorry, bad advice, demerit Wishy! *smacks hand  :cop5: I need to re-read that article, maybe someone should write a letter to the editor.  It seems experience trumps their advice.

[Sondra]

Jadesmom, to cut down on the nmber of clutches let your birds sit for about 3 weeks - when you notice that they are off the eggs for a full 48 hours toss them. If you cut back on daylight hours they won't lay as often - 10 to 12 hours of quiet dark time. Also if offer smaller amounts of food it helps - in winter food isn't as abundant so birds won't lay but in the spring and summer food is very abundant and birds lay a couple of clutches. I'm not saying to feed them less, but feed smaller quantities. You know how much you throw out, so cut back some and see if it helps.

[Jadesmom]

No eggs from anyone but Mary (Zebra finch) this year so far...knock on wood.

[BPMar]

Any other advice??? (I'm not saying that sarcastically!  :twirl:) Our Jane started laying before spring even got here!  We have done everything possible that we know, have been told and have researched on.  She also will pluck herself and the babies for bedding.  We are always hoping there is something else we haven't tried yet...
  ...No more egg dance!!!