Female constantly laying

[mmilner]

Hello, I have a 6 to 7 year old female cockatiel who just wants to be on the bottom of her cage laying eggs. She likes to be with people and is very sweet but we cannot be with her every second of the day. It seems as though she is just always on the bottom of her cage. I don't know what to do. This is now she spends all her time. She has toys and a large cage so space and play things aren't an issue.

[cherylrowland]

Try changing up her toys and food dishes to see if you can get her out of the egg laying mood. Hopefully, other members who have more information about why hens continually lay eggs will chime in on other ways to change her behavior.

[jimbrewer]

I have a young pair of cockatiels recently purchased from a breeder who advertised them as very prolific. After a couple of weeks, there was an egg on the floor of the cage, so I added a nest box and placed the egg inside. They immediately went for the next box. After a couple of days, I inspected and the egg was gone. I continued to observe and found eggs laid then eggs partially eaten or disapeared. As the birds were still young, and had just arrived at my aviary, I thought that they might just need to get into a cycle and settled in, so another batch of eggs began to appear, with the birds doing some brooding, but eventually with the same results. I closed the nest box and before long after very affectionate love making, eggs began to appear in the cage, and so I opened the next box with similar results again. Now, after a total of approximately 2 dozen eggs laid and multiple egg eating and/or unsuccessful hatching, the pair have now laid eggs, successfully brooded and hatched eggs with feeding and taking care of the babies by the pair (I do think they could have done a better job and perhaps the babies would have fared better with different parents). I have other birds having better results and behaviors and what I do for one I do for all, so I do not see my actions as having contributed to the birds behavior. I have been told that laying so many eggs is no more a detriment for the cockatiel as for chickens as long as the nutrition, etc. is there, and the hen appears to be fine. It may be that this pair or one of this pair is the result of its heritage and the parents' behaviour in raising the chick (kinda like abused parents produce abused children who abuse and produce abusers - a never ending cycle within that family). Of course, I do not know why these behaviours occur or what will happen in the future with these birds, or why a hen performs as such, but I would suggest that what begins ovulation and the whole egg laying and nesting instinct is triggered within the brain that then sends messages to the systems involved in the process to do their thing. If so, and it is all in the mind, then the way to intercede would be to change the mind activity, and so changing environment and activity would likely change the mind and the behavior. I have seen where hens have laid eggs which got tossed and at the end of the cycle, the eggs stopped. However, if the environmental quality that triggered the egglaying remains, then the cycle would likely get retriggered; thereby requiring a different environmental surrounding. The suggested toys is one means to distract and change the environment. A different physical setting (place in the house or yard, etc.) might be considered. Adding or eliminating sounds, change in lighting, change of food, might be attempted. Birds tend to mate and begin reproduction when environmental surrondings (light, temperature, food and water including presence of greens and fresh food, as well as sense of safety and nesting availability) are at an optimum. Note: cockatiels have been known to nest in food and water troughs. Once this is determined not to be adequate for changing the behaviour, then some internal systemic cause should be considered and a vet would certainly be in order; there could be physiological abnormalities. Does any one need a pair of "highly prolific" cockatiels?