Spring hormones...nest question

Ambermai · Apr 7, 2014

So, it's spring and our Quaker has gotten all hormonal. His favorite playpen sits in a box with high sides that I made to catch crumbs, etc and now he appears to be turning it into a nest. He is stuffing emptying seeds and bits of paper in the gap under the playpen base and the box floor, and makes this loud gurgling squawk. I don't know what to do now, I'm worried if I remove the box he'll be sad and think he was a bad bird. I tried doing it who he was in eyesight and he just gazed at it sadly (the box) like he was so puzzled as to why I took it away. What should I do? He is noticeably more aggressive since the "nest" building started but it keeps him so busy and happy. :blue2:

MonicaMc · Apr 8, 2014

You can't mate and reproduce with him and raise chicks with him.... and there are a lot of behavioral (and some health) problems due to excessive hormones... so I would recommend discouraging the behavior. Maybe you could distract him with new activities, such as training or foraging?

patsyann · May 22, 2014

I have a similar problem. A friend made each of my birds a box to play in. Now one of my African Greys is sitting on a nest of infertile eggs. I don't want to upset her by taking the box away, but I don't know what else to do. Does anyone have any advise of what I should do?

MonicaMc · May 22, 2014

This is my general recommendation when dealing with hormonal egg laying hens, although it's geared more towards the smaller birds who lay more eggs than their larger counterparts.

Remove Eggs
- Rearrange the cage
- Move the cage to a new location
- Use a cage grate
- Get a new cage/Use a different cage
- 12-14 hours of complete darkness
- Decrease calcium and protein within the diet (if she is on a high calcium & protein diet prior to laying eggs)
- 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
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

If you remove the eggs, you must also remove the triggers to egg-laying. If you don't, your bird will just lay more eggs.

If you decide to leave the eggs, then once the hen is done sitting, you need to remove the triggers to egg laying so that she wont lay more eggs.

Spring hormones...nest question

Ambermai

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MonicaMc

Well-known member

patsyann

New member

MonicaMc

Well-known member

Conure bite too hard?

Starting to pluck??

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