HELP! Kiwi has laid her first egg!

[Lady Jinx]

Well, kiwi is a female after all, haha.

Well, I'm pretty excited, shocked, worried, scared and began prioritizing this to be on top with my school and job. I've had cockatiels, who had sadly passed away on me and they've always been male. But I've never had a female, nor have I had a female who laid an egg!

I need some help to ensure everything does smoothly for her as possible and prevent egg bond (we lost a finch to it, and I can't bare to lose my two tiels)

Questions:

- When exactly do they lay or pass an egg? In the morning, afternoon?

- What types of food should she be on now? I have her on normal Harrison's and Nekton Bio supplement on her treats once a week .. I've been a bit lazy on her veggies since I've been busy so I'm doing my best to get them to her.

- What about bedtime and waking up? Tips on uncovering her in case she is laying an egg when I wake her up?

- What about noises? She's in the living room near the other birds but clearly far enough away and has her space, but she's used to the noises in the house; talking, the tv (not too loud) and just general evening noises ..

- What about Ash. I know he's interested in her since he's been dancing and singing to her every chance I let them out about with me supervised. I would want to make sure they're both completely healthy before I even think of mating.

- What about times when I'm away, like school, job and volunteering. All three are priorities in life since both keep me busy and positive. One supports me and one will get me someone further. Volunteering is out of the goodness of my heart but I'm so far in the program, I'd rather not leave. How would I know if anything happens to her when I'm away?

- Should I offer a nest or a nest box to her? I could tell she might be starting to lay an egg when I noticed today she was in the corner of the cage, tail up against the bars and very quite and protective of that spot. Even when she was shredding the newspaper almost in like a circle formation , she was pretty protective.

- Egg bond. Prevention?

- Nutrition. What's good for calcium? extra protein? nutrients?

I'll be calling my Vet in the morning for some help from him so ANY help at all from the experienced would be appreciated since I've NEVER gone through this before.

[Lady Kakata]

Okay, my Bonnie is an egg layer so hopefully I can help you here

First thing is first; DON'T PANIC! Seriously, she'll be fine if you keep calm. Having a non-fertile egg (at least I assume it's non-fertile, you haven't mentioned if she's with a male) is no big deal for 'tiels and indeed i've learned that they are chronic egg layers

DO NOT GIVE HER A NEST BOX, REPEAT, DO NOT GIVE HER A NEST BOX. This will only encourage her and this may hurt her health if she takes it upon herself to lay 20 consecutive eggs in this lovely box her mommy provided for her safe from predators.

If your cage has a grate to seperate the floor of the cage with the bird, PUT IT IN. In my experiance a bird might still lay an egg (as Bonnie did yesterday) but they generally won't sit on it or protect it on a grate since that's uncomfortable. If you don't, then leave the egg there and let her protect it if she wants. The general advice I've seen is to let her lay her eggs if she's in egg-laying mode, leave them for about 15-30 days, then take them out. If you take them out immediatly then the bird merely things a 'predator' got it and they lay another to compensate. You see the danger here

Make sure she has access to a mineral block and a cuttlefish bone OR a calcium block. Make sure she is getting calcium as she will instinctively look for sources of it to keep her calcium level up as she lays (as eggs are filled with the stuff). A bird with little calcium sources starts to use up their own bone material for it and this leads to soft bones, egg binding and death.

If you want to stop her laying eggs once she's finished a cycle, cover her for a long period of time to make her think it's winter. The reason I suggest AFTER she's finished laying her eggs and you've waited the 30 days to take them out is that she might mistake your attempt at covering her cage as converting the cage itself into a giant nest box, which is not good.

No matter how busy you are, your bird MUST get veg. Even something simple like carrots and brocolli will do wonders for the birds health and wellbeing

These are the very basics, since you're apparently going to call a vet, which I can assure you is not nessesary. Reply with what he/she said and I can guide you further. Seriously, my Bonnie is an egg-layer and she's still a nosy, bitey, jealous flying and fit weasel! (actually, you can see pictures of her on her nest in the : Bonnie and Angel : thread)

[Akara Crystal]

Originally Posted by Lady Jinx

Questions:

- When exactly do they lay or pass an egg? In the morning, afternoon?

- What types of food should she be on now? I have her on normal Harrison's and Nekton Bio supplement on her treats once a week .. I've been a bit lazy on her veggies since I've been busy so I'm doing my best to get them to her.

- What about bedtime and waking up? Tips on uncovering her in case she is laying an egg when I wake her up?

- What about noises? She's in the living room near the other birds but clearly far enough away and has her space, but she's used to the noises in the house; talking, the tv (not too loud) and just general evening noises ..

- What about Ash. I know he's interested in her since he's been dancing and singing to her every chance I let them out about with me supervised. I would want to make sure they're both completely healthy before I even think of mating.

- What about times when I'm away, like school, job and volunteering. All three are priorities in life since both keep me busy and positive. One supports me and one will get me someone further. Volunteering is out of the goodness of my heart but I'm so far in the program, I'd rather not leave. How would I know if anything happens to her when I'm away?

- Should I offer a nest or a nest box to her? I could tell she might be starting to lay an egg when I noticed today she was in the corner of the cage, tail up against the bars and very quite and protective of that spot. Even when she was shredding the newspaper almost in like a circle formation , she was pretty protective.

- Egg bond. Prevention?

- Nutrition. What's good for calcium? extra protein? nutrients?

Ok first thing DON'T PANIC, I was the same when my female laid her first egg.

Here are a few things that happened to my female cockatiel.

-She laid her eggs during the night

-I give her a balance diet that has all the mineral and nutrients for her to lay eggs.

- I talk quietly before I uncover her cage and let her know I'm coming.

-My male follows my female into the nest box, I hear him talking and whistle to her, when he finish, both of them come out of the nest box and I see she laid an egg.

-I got a nest box for her, cause I found that she laid an egg on the bottom of her cage. Since now she has a nesting box she is happy to sit inside with my male.

-Egg bond? How old is she. She has to be at least 18 months or 2 years old to lay eggs. My female was 19 months old which was OK for her to lay egg which didn't make her egg bond.

- I give her cuttlebone, and two different calcium bells. When she was laying eggs she went nuts with the calcium bells.

That what I did to my female. Of course all the eggs she laid was unfertile cause my male doesn't know how to mate. At least she was health.

[Renae]

Is your male and female caged together?

[Lady Jinx]

Thanks for the quick response.

I did call my vet this morning to get some help.

To sum up the conversation, he basically said:

"If I want to stop her from laying eggs to take the eggs out after she's laid them. (but you say to wait 15-30 days?)

Every other day of NektonBio will help her calcium along with mineral blocks and such.
Also, take away or do not give her any nesting material. (NektonBio is their supplement since I'm not able to bring them outside for sunlight, and for extra nutrients and for Ash of course)

Mating is my choice."

He basically answered my questions. She had a mineral block and calcium, but I'm taking his advice and up her dosage of NektonBio for her supplements and extra calcium.

NOW FOR MY ANSWERS FOR YOU GUYS:

- There is NO male in her cage. He is in his own cage in my bedroom. She is by herself.

- No male, no fertile eggs!

- I haven't given her ANY nesting material or boxes

- Since I have newspaper on the bottom, he says to change it frequently. Most likely twice a day for me, morning and afternoon when I come home. I do have a grate, guess I could start using it.

- As for mating, I'd rather not right now since I have three things that eat my time most of the time and I'd want them both fully health checked before I even think about it. Plus Ash has a chronic vitamin d defficiency, hence why he is on Harrison's and supplements of NektonBio.

- As for egg bond and age, I'm not sure how exactly old she is since I got her from a pet store. Both her and Ash from a pet store. I'm guessing about almost 2 years now. 2 years in January since I got them. She's well over a year though.

- Also, when will I know when she's completely done laying eggs and when it's time to remove them?

I guess I'm only a bit panicy because I've heard the dangers of egg laying and I've never had a female cockatiel lay eggs. We had a Quaker who laid eggs constantly, never got bond and began vicious and had to be given to a new owner .. and also because I've lost two close tiels in the past. But with your help, I can do this.

Really, I'd rather not let them mate just yet and have babies on my shoulders to care for. Not that I don't want to, it's be a joyful job, really, but with full-time college, part-time job and volunteering shifts at a humane society... it'll overload me.

[Akara Crystal]

Did you ask an Avian Vet?

A vet don't know much about birds. An Avian Vet does. I took 2 eggs out of the nest box and what happened my female laid another 2 eggs. My Avian Vet told me to leave the eggs alone otherwise she will keep laying to replace the eggs she is missing.

[ashxo]

Get her some fake eggs, take out the real ones and replace them with the fake ones. If you just remove them without replacing them with anything she may just keep laying to replace the lost ones.

[Astrid660]

My female tiels have laid eggs before. It was no big deal, I let them do their thing for a few days (maybe a couple weeks) and then took the eggs away. that was about a year ago, it has not happened since. I have males but the girls are kept separate. I made the mistake of giving a nestbox at first and way more were laid than if I had not given it...

[Renae]

DON'T take the eggs out otherwise she will lay MORE and continue to if you keep taking them out. She will abandon them eventually when she realizes they're not fertile. (a few weeks and when you've seen she's abandoned them, then you can take them out)

Taking out eggs is a mistake a lot of people make - and then the female can end up egg bound by continuing to lay eggs.

There are things you can do during this time and after to bring her out of condition and lessen the chances of it happening again. Some hens go into chronic egg laying mode where they are laying eggs clutch after clutch. This becomes very dangerous and a trip to the vet is recommended since she is draining her calcium supply. Also, during this time it's especially important to provide with calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D3. Calcium and phosphorus can be found in many foods. Vitamin D3 is available as a supplement in some foods however the best source is pure sunlight. Short exposures of non filtered (no window) sunlight help the skin produce vitamin D3. Without this vitamin, calcium and phosphorus is not absorbed and distributed properly, therefore they become useless.

So now that she has an egg, it probably won't be the last. There can be several eggs in her clutch, between 3-11. Most first time layers will have a small clutch of maybe around 4 eggs. She'll usually have one every other day until she completes her clutch. You'll know when she's getting ready to lay another as the day before their poop is huge. They hold it and go about twice a day. Also, her vent area may be swollen.

She'll most likely not sit on the very first egg, but some do. Most will wait until the second or third, or even until the clutch is complete. She'll sit on them for about 2-3 weeks until realizing their duds. At that time, and only then do you start removing them one by one. You'll know when the time is right. NEVER take away the eggs until she's lost interest. Doing so will cause her to drain her calcium supply by replacing them.

Things you can do during and after this:

Provide 12 hours of dark *night time* to simulate winter (non breeding conditions) Do this during her incubation and after.

Change around her cage location and cage items *perches, bowls, toys, etc*. This will take her a bit out of her comfort zone and bring her out of condition. You should do this about once or twice a month on a regular basis. It's also good idea to do it after you've removed the last egg.

Limit high fat/high sugar/high protein foods such as egg, seed, and millet. Replace those items with healthy things like veggies, beans, etc. Be careful not to take away essential foods in her diet. The idea is not to deprive her, but to make sure food is not available in abundance.

No petting on anywhere but her head. SO many owners make the mistake of rubbing their female's back and she ends up thinking you're her mate. Yes, she will try and lay eggs for you.

Do not provide any nesting material and remove any toys that she might be getting *frisky* with.

Don't let her go searching for dark spots-they're looking for nesting spots. *under couch pillows, book shelves, cupboards, etc*

[Monica]

- When exactly do they lay or pass an egg? In the morning, afternoon?
This varies from bird to bird. I've seen one bird lay at least two or three eggs. During the day.

- What types of food should she be on now? I have her on normal Harrison's and Nekton Bio supplement on her treats once a week .. I've been a bit lazy on her veggies since I've been busy so I'm doing my best to get them to her.
Besides the fact that tiels shouldn't get more than 25% pellets in their diet, a breeding hen needs more calcium, protein, and vitamin D. This can be in the forum of food, supplements, and a full spectrum light.

If you don't plan on breeding, you could try to reduce the amount.... unless of course she's getting the appropriate amount as is right now.

- What about bedtime and waking up? Tips on uncovering her in case she is laying an egg when I wake her up?
12 hours of sleep at least. Perhaps as much as 14-16. If possible, allow her to go to sleep with the sun and wake with the sun. If that's not enough hours, have her sleep in longer, or go to bed earlier. If that's too much, then just make sure she's getting more than she is now?

- What about noises? She's in the living room near the other birds but clearly far enough away and has her space, but she's used to the noises in the house; talking, the tv (not too loud) and just general evening noises ..
You *could* move her... wouldn't really matter where, so long as it's not in a closet, in the kitchen, or some other unacceptable room.

- What about Ash. I know he's interested in her since he's been dancing and singing to her every chance I let them out about with me supervised. I would want to make sure they're both completely healthy before I even think of mating.
What about him?

- What about times when I'm away, like school, job and volunteering. All three are priorities in life since both keep me busy and positive. One supports me and one will get me someone further. Volunteering is out of the goodness of my heart but I'm so far in the program, I'd rather not leave. How would I know if anything happens to her when I'm away?
If there's anyone home while you are not, call them? Otherwise, if possible, set up a webcam on her.

- Should I offer a nest or a nest box to her? I could tell she might be starting to lay an egg when I noticed today she was in the corner of the cage, tail up against the bars and very quite and protective of that spot. Even when she was shredding the newspaper almost in like a circle formation , she was pretty protective.
Offering a nest box will encourage her to lay. You don't want her to lay. Obvious answer?

Use the cage grate....

- Egg bond. Prevention?
Bound, I think you meant... Make sure she gets plenty of calcium, vitamin d, and exercise.

- Nutrition. What's good for calcium? extra protein? nutrients?
Cooked eggs. Vegetables. Sprouted healthy beans and grains, or cooked. Full spectrum lighting.


If you remove her eggs, there are various steps you need to take to discourage further egg-laying. If you don't change anything around, chances are, the hen is likely to continue laying. With that said, determined layers wont care one way or the other.

1. Remove Eggs
   • Rearrange the cage
   • Perhaps move the cage to a new location
   • Use a cage grate
   • Get a new cage
   • 12-14 hours of complete darkness
   • Decreace calcium and protein within the diet
   • 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

I realize this is old. I also find it hogwash that if you remove the eggs of a cockatiel that is laying, she'll become a chronic egg layer. I've been given a female cockatiel. Yes, she was a chronic egg layer. Yes, her eggs were removed. Yes, she laid more eggs. After she came under my care (different food, different environment, different cage, more daylight hours, [she was covered most of the time] etc) she stopped laying eggs! Imagine that!

I've also got one hen who lays 3-4 eggs, usually, per year. I can't really discourage her from laying as easily as the rest, because she lays her eggs from perches... and they drop to crack on the floor... *BUT* this only occurs during breeding season. Not in any off season.

And of course my first tiel. She is pretty easy to disuade! If she finds a spot to nest, I remove that spot, and viola! No more eggs! However, this once included having to remove a cage [that was in use - had to move the birds, too!] out of the room...