# Questions about dummy eggs



## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Okay so I have FINALLY ordered a set of nine dummy eggs from dummyeggs.com.

So far, I have found a total of two eggs laid. One last week, which I saved (and left on the floor in the same spot), and one yesterday which I tossed as I found it cracked on the cage floor in the morning.

I don't know who is laying. Freya and Moon have been mating, but I have not seen Freya act "nesty." Astrid and Dolce both seem a bit hormonal.

Anyway, on the dummyeggs.com site, it recommends NOT replacing the eggs one by one with the fakes as they are laid, but rather putting all of the fakes in at once in a nest bowl to overwhelm the female and make her think her work is done. http://www.dummyeggs.com/#dummylogo
My question is, since I found the eggs in different spots and there is no sign of a nest, where do I put all of the eggs? In a bowl? Do I really want to create a nest if whoever is laying didn't have one before?

The eggs were well-formed. My aim is to stop further laying before I reach the point where egg binding is an issue.


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

moonchild said:


> Okay so I have FINALLY ordered a set of nine dummy eggs from dummyeggs.com.
> 
> So far, I have found a total of two eggs laid. One last week, which I saved (and left on the floor in the same spot), and one yesterday which I tossed as I found it cracked on the cage floor in the morning.
> 
> ...


Unfortunately, you do have to make a nest for the dummy eggs to work. But that is normal, you will want to collect the eggs all in one place anyway if there is hope to stop her from laying. Egg binding becomes an issue when the bird isn't allowed to brood the eggs because she doesn't have a nesting site and thus continuously lays because her hormones are out of whack.

This just earns you another 23 days to get control over her hormone situation before removing a nest or nestbox. I would only use this with long nights treatment and hormone control techniques.

There are two schools of thought on this, one says remove the nestbox and do hormone control techniques, and the other which I follow says use dummy eggs, ride the hormone storm and use control techniques. Just removing the nest has never worked for Pikachu (my breeder) who is an insistent layer. So I often wind up turning to these at the end of the season when she really needs to give it a rest.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

I see; thank you.

So does it matter where I put the nest if I found the eggs in two different spots before?


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

moonchild said:


> I see; thank you.
> 
> So does it matter where I put the nest if I found the eggs in two different spots before?


I would put it as close to where the first one was laid as possible. That area must have some significance to the hen that laid it and hopefully she will take it up as her own.

What I would do, is build a nest, put your one good egg in it and after you see a hen sitting on it fill the nest with dummy eggs. Filling a new nest with dummy eggs before a hen gets to sit on it can cause this technique to fail (I learned that the hard way).

A problem you might run into and that I did earlier this year with Perkie another of my hens is after making the nest for her other birds overran it. You might consider putting a bowl nest with a real egg close to a nestbox and having a single dummy egg inside it, after she finds the nestbox and sits on it you won't need the bowl nest anymore and the hen doesn't know the difference. Then you can overload the box with dummies. This works best in the aviary situation and if the box is as close to the first laid egg as possible since thats part of the bird's territory. A nestbox is much more defensible for a single hen. But every situation is different.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

The egg locations seem to be really haphazard, so far. Not remotely nest-like.

Going by what the website FAQ says, I would want to just give the eggs to her all at once. But what you are saying makes sense. I wonder why it's bad to replace the eggs one by one with fakes? From what I've read, the hen won't sit on them until she has laid her full clutch. Then I'd be able to figure out who it was and where she actually wants to nest.

I'd worry about introducing a box, with three hormonal girls. :\ Wouldn't they fight over it? And wouldn't it stimulate the other two to lay?


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

moonchild said:


> The egg locations seem to be really haphazard, so far. Not remotely nest-like.
> 
> Going by what the website FAQ says, I would want to just give the eggs to her all at once. But what you are saying makes sense. I wonder why it's bad to replace the eggs one by one with fakes? From what I've read, the hen won't sit on them until she has laid her full clutch. Then I'd be able to figure out who it was and where she actually wants to nest.
> 
> I'd worry about introducing a box, with three hormonal girls. :\ Wouldn't they fight over it? And wouldn't it stimulate the other two to lay?


Replacing them one by one with fakes defeats the cause of stopping the hen from laying which is dummy eggs intended purpose. But they can be used for other things like replacing cracked eggs and I have even used them in a brooder for newborn chicks to lay and balance on.

Both of my hens seem to be an exception to the "incubate once all the eggs are laid" rule the eggs hatch out over a week. When a single egg is laid they start incubating which might put me at an advantage with dummy eggs. I suppose putting in a box isn't an option for you so a nest will be your only solution. Maybe try putting two dummy eggs and your good one in a makeshift bowl nest. Many birds start incubating when three are laid don't they?


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

If you only replace the eggs while they're laid, it won't stop her from laying because she wants a compete clutch of eggs. However, replacing the eggs as she lays them allows her to go through a normal nesting cycle, without the worry of eggs hatching. Since your birds are on a good diet, I don't think it would be any harm either way you decide to do it.


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## scootergirl762 (Aug 27, 2013)

I don't have any advice, but I did have a question - is it possible that more than one female is laying the eggs, since you found them in two different spots?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Here is a product of interest: http://www.exoticdvm.com/releaves


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

bjknight93 said:


> If you only replace the eggs while they're laid, it won't stop her from laying because she wants a compete clutch of eggs. However, replacing the eggs as she lays them allows her to go through a normal nesting cycle, without the worry of eggs hatching. Since your birds are on a good diet, I don't think it would be any harm either way you decide to do it.


I think I will replace each egg laid with two dummies, as recommended elsewhere. That might lead to fewer eggs laid total, and then give the female a chance to go through the cycle. I wonder when I should rearrange the cage -- before or after she abandons the "eggs"?



scootergirl762 said:


> I don't have any advice, but I did have a question - is it possible that more than one female is laying the eggs, since you found them in two different spots?


Yes, I suppose it is...we shall see won't we.



srtiels said:


> Here is a product of interest: http://www.exoticdvm.com/releaves


Thank you! I've heard of this before but if forgotten about it. Have you had success with it?


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