quaker and sun conure mate all the time

[debigartn]

I have a 10 yr old quaker and a 7 year old sun conure. They have been mating for about 4 years. She will lay eggs aftertheir few days of mating. Is it possible for these eggs to be fertile. I didn't think they could be, so I have been taking them out of her cage 2 weeks after she lays them because I'm afraid they are bad. I don't want her to to be in a cage with rotting eggs. My quaker and sun conure mated again around Christmas. She is now sitting on 5 eggs. It's been 3 weeks now. She looks good. I'm giving her lots of calcium, veggies, fruit, and grains. Does anyone know or heard of these two mating and producing offspring?

[FeathersNFur8]

Originally Posted by debigartn

I have a 10 yr old quaker and a 7 year old sun conure. They have been mating for about 4 years. She will lay eggs aftertheir few days of mating. Is it possible for these eggs to be fertile. I didn't think they could be, so I have been taking them out of her cage 2 weeks after she lays them because I'm afraid they are bad. I don't want her to to be in a cage with rotting eggs. My quaker and sun conure mated again around Christmas. She is now sitting on 5 eggs. It's been 3 weeks now. She looks good. I'm giving her lots of calcium, veggies, fruit, and grains. Does anyone know or heard of these two mating and producing offspring?

I'm hoping someone can explain this to me. I probably just have a bunch of dumb questions, but here goes:

If you choose to house two birds together, same species or different species, that you do not want to mate and raise babies, how do they do all this with no nesting box? I am assuming if two birds are together, especially different species, and you want no babies, that their cage is not set up with a nesting box.

Will this happen irregardless of a nest box being available?
Will this happen even if they are together on the same play gym?
When they lay eggs, I'm picturing eggs dropping to the cage floor..or does the hen just know to go the cage floor to lay?
Is there a benefit for a hen to just produce eggs for the heck of it?

[Monica]

They only way to know if the eggs are viable or not is to candle them after a week of being laid (taking a small flashlight and putting it up against the egg in a dimly lit room - unfertilized will be yellow with orange dot, fertilized will have veins, then a chick, and progressives to becoming very dark inside). This is the easiest way to know if they are viable or not.

Now as far as that possible mating, from past history it doesn't sound as if it is possible, since there are no records of hybrid quakers (of course then again people never thought that cockatiels could hybridize until a galah x tiel showed up in someones aviary!)

So for now, I doubt that it is possible, and it would probably be a better idea to not let them be together when they are hormonal and not to encourage breeding in any way.

[debigartn]

When they mate it is usually when they are out together on their stand. I have no nest box for her. I do not have a her cage set up for breeding or nesting. They are just really attached to each other.

[Monica]

It would be easier if you did answer all the questions... where does your sun lay the eggs?

[MJMette]

The first time our quaker laid eggs she just laid it right on the cage floor and then we went out and got her a nest. When our parakeets first laid eggs she would kick out all the seeds from the food dish (which became a problem) and laid them there, even with the several options of nest boxes we gave her.

[sleslie]

That must take a toll on the Sun laying so many eggs. It can't be good for the health of the bird, can it?

[FeathersNFur8]

Originally Posted by debigartn

When they mate it is usually when they are out together on their stand. I have no nest box for her. I do not have a her cage set up for breeding or nesting. They are just really attached to each other.

OK, trying to picture this. She has no nest, where is she sitting on these eggs? On the cage floor? What are the benefits to the bird to have her sitting on eggs? Is it so she doesn't lay anymore? Can you be more specific?

[debigartn]

she layes eggs once a year. When she does this, I usually see the first one on the cage floor. Don't worry I clean the bottom twice a day and wash every week. Once, I see this I give her her nap sack the one that hangs from the top cage that you see at pet stores made for birds. (reason-I don't keep the nap sack in the cage at all times because I want to discourage her from laying eggs more than once a year. I used to keep it in her cage because she loved it so much and would sit in it all day. One year she produced two sets of eggs 3-4 in 7 month time. I felt it was bad for her, so I took it out.)
Continuing on from above...She then lays about 2-3 more. I heard that if you take the eggs out too early, and from experience, they will lay more. So I try to keep them in there as long as possible without them going bad.