# Broody female



## Micheli (Oct 26, 2009)

Hi, I am new here. I have two cockatiels; a grey male and a lutino female. I bought the male as a baby and the female is a rescue. They both are very tame and are "free roaming". The female is laying eggs like crazy. She'll lay her eggs all over the place. She'll have 3, or 5 or sometimes 8. She also sits on them for quite a while. I feed her well and she looks very healthy. The sticky part is that they seem rather indifferent to each others. Since the male has no interest, the dog is acting as an involuntary substitute for the female's unmistakeable advances. The poor dog is 15 years old and could do without this unwanted attention. I have tried the injections at the vet, but they don't last very long, are scary and costly. Any suggestions ?


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

It sounds like she's a chronic egg layer, hmm.

By interrupting, changing and removing the environmental stimuli that cause a hormonal egg laying cycle, future egg laying can be prevented. Environmental changes should create undesirable breeding conditions, just the opposite of what optimum conditions are for breeding.

Remove birdie beds and sleep tents from the cage. Remove cage mirrors that your bird seems overly attached to and toys that she/he may be using for masturbating. Remove toys made out of paper, wood and other natural fibers that she is chewing and shredding.Re-arranging the cage so it feels less secure and reducing the number of daylight hours your bird is exposed are often very effective in preventing or stopping chronic egg laying. Birds will not set up nest and start producing eggs if the site they have chosen feels insecure. Re-arrange, switch and move perches, feeding dishes and toys or replacing them with new items that are a different size, color, texture or shape. Other changes that can make the cage feel less suitable for nesting include moving the cage to another area side of the room or moving cage into a completely different room. Putting your bird into an entirely different looking cage in a different room is even better. *The more drastic the change, the more effect it will have on preventing egg laying.* Since exposure to daylight has a strong influence on breeding hormones, reduce the amount of daylight hours that your bird is exposed to so the environment resembles Winter, non-breeding months. Reduce daylight exposure to 10 hours a day and keep the cage covered for 14 hours each night in a very dark, quiet room, for 2 weeks. If this doesn't help, reduce your bird's exposure to daylight to 8 hours a day Cover the cage so your bird is in darkness for 16 hours for 2 weeks. Avoid giving your bird baths, water misting or soft foods during the 2 week period. 

*Note:* Re-arranging, moving the cage and reducing light should all be done at the same time. Reducing light alone may encourage egg laying by making the cage seem like a nestbox. (The same suggestions work for males that are going through seasonal aggression.) 

The presence of an acceptable nesting spot and nesting material always encourages breeding behavior. Both female and male birds will seek out dark corners. Females will lay eggs and males will become very territorial and aggressive, often attacking and biting you to protect the spot they have found. The space in-between the bottle and microwave, in the photo to the right is a good example of the type of area that encourages egg laying and breeding behavior. If you notice your bird investigating dark, enclosed areas like cabinets, open bureau drawers, the top of closets, the inside of shoes, socks etc. don't allow it. Close, block or cover the "entrance" because your bird is probably looking for a place to lay eggs. Cockatiels do not need an actual nest to lay eggs in. They just need a cozy, little out of the way corner, like the one the bird in this picture has found. It's not uncommon at all for cockatiels to lay eggs under chairs, under beds or other out of the way places in the home where they are allowed to spend time. Sleeping tents, huts and birdie beds that are sold in stores also provide a place for egg laying so avoid using them with cockatiels as well. Last but not least, Avoid petting your bird on the back, stomach or under the wings because that's where a female's ovary and a male's testicles are located. When you show your bird affection in these areas, you're stimulating her ovary or his testicles. 

If your bird continues to lay more than 2 clutches of eggs per year despite all of the measures presented, take her to an avian veterinarian. Lupron, a prescription hormone therapy is available that may help your bird. Another method suggested, (when all other methods fail and when the hen is still in good health), is to allow the female to raise 1 clutch of chicks. This may end chronic egg laying. As a last resort, an avian vet may recommend that a chronic egg layer have a hysterectomy to prevent egg laying. An avian hysterectomy is the removal of just the 1 oviduct, not the ovary. Most of the egg's development takes place in the oviduct and the ovary is located near a very large artery which would make the procedure too risky. 

*Note:* Replace toys that are used to chew on and shred after egg laying or male aggression has stopped. Your bird needs these types of chew toys to prevent boredom and feather plucking


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## Micheli (Oct 26, 2009)

Thank you so much for all this info. I had already tried moving the cage around and increasing their night time. It looks like it has to be more drastic. I have another cage I can put the female in. It is big enough and easier to move around. She has been sitting on 3 eggs for the past two weeks, but doesn't seem too attached as she has already spent some nights with the male in the big cage. I guess it is OK to remove her now.
PS : Your two cockatiels on the bottom right corner look just like mine.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Oh dear. I think someone else here mentioned putting their (female) Cockatiel in a cupboard and covering them - don't know how effective it would be though. The 2 in the right hand corner are 2 Cinnamons, is that what your pair are?

Removing her and putting her in her own cage could solve your problem - well I hope so anyway!


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## Micheli (Oct 26, 2009)

I was referring to the grey and lutino ones. The female is a little more anxious than the male and I didn't want to traumatize her. We have a big windowless bathroom that is not used (we are empty nesters). I have put the big cage there so they can be together at night. Since they are rarely in the cage during the day, I have used the smaller one as a base (they stay a lot more on the top than inside) and connected it to a play area they have. It looks like quite a contraption in our living room, but they seem to like it. It is so nice to have them in a different room for the night. No need to wisper any more in the early am hours  I have removed the eggs from behind one of the speaker (the last batch) and the female doesn't seem to even remember they were there. Looks like it is working. Thanks.


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