Can I stop my lovies from laying??

[natzback]

Hi Everyone, It's been awhile since I posted......
Here's the deal,
I purchaes a pair of lovies awhile back from the feed store because she was sitting on eggs on the bottom of the cage, they said they keep throwing the eggs away and she keeps having more so I got them out of there, since then she has successfully had one clutch, I am handfeeding them now, they are 10,12 and 14 days old. I really want to take the box down and give them a break but my friend that breeds birds says you really can't stop her from laying even if they don't breed..... any suggestions? She's a good mom and I don't want to loose her to egg binding or something.
Thanks everybody and LOVE the site!
Natalie

[Monica]

Remove the nestbox, any nesting material or thing that could be perceived as either, and try moving things around within the cage to prevent any more egg laying... If she doesn't stop there are other measures that could be taken to try to get her to stop.

[CraftQueen]

Great advice from Monica. Definately remove the nest box and don't feel sorry for her if she lays a couple in the bottom of the cage. I made this mistake with my breeder pair in Feb. and lost the hen to egg binding. Make sure they are getting plenty of calcium. Kale served any way they will eat it is full of calcium(If they won't eat it whole you can chop it and run it in the food processor and mix it with other things) I serve Kale, carrots, peeled sweet potato, celery, bell pepper, apple etc (all chopped and run in the food processor and mix in some dry flat oats and egg food) every other day. You can even get liquid calcium at a health food store, it is thick and you'd have to water it down some. I recycle my egg shells. When I get a pan full, I bake them at about 200 degrees for a couple of hours, crush them by hand as small as they will go, and then run them in the food processor to get them smaller. I put the crushed and grinded egg shells in a shaker and shake it on top of seeds every evening when I give seeds for supper.

[CrazyBirdLady]

Yep, pretty much removing the nestbox and re-arranging are the best ways to try to avoid her laying again. I've also found, completely moving the hen and male (if you are planning to keep them together) into a different cage altogether in a different location in the room or house works the best. It seems to throw off the egg laying cycle. Be sure to not provide the hen with any shredding materials. Check wooden perches often as they are also shreddable.
Even trying all this, she might lay again. There are several different options if this happens. You can give her the box back and let her sit through the cycle or you can pull the eggs away from her as she lays them; though I don't recommend the latter option unless you really know the hen and how she will react. I have had to use the "tough love" method of egg removal with a couple of chronic layers and sometimes it works, other times not.

Good luck!

[natzback]

Thank you all very much for the suggestions
I am going to give it a try and hopefully she will stop and take a break
I also like the recycling the egg shells idea.
ok, I will let ya'll know how it goes, her last clutch is doing great, I am handfeeding them now - hungry little buggers
Natalie

[blueroseaviary]

A couple of my parrotlet pairs are VERY prolific. I have had success putting them into a cage with a wire divider. They can still meet in the middle, preen each other's heads, feed each other, and get that annoying pinnie for their mate. They have not been able to breed through the bars and it is the only thing that I have done that has stopped them from laying eggs. Not having a nest box or nesting materials isn't necessarily a deterrant for a determined pair.

Maybe it would work for lovies as well?

[natzback]

oh - cool idea - I have one of those cages - I will def try it after this clutch - I don't want to loose such a good mommy!
natalie