Acting strange after laying a single egg

bigfellasdad

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Hi, Enzo laid a single egg four days ago, unfortunately she laid it whilst on her top perch so it didnt survive the fall, she really really didnt want to go in that night but it was getting late for her so i made her go in, so i feel bad for that, i didnt realise she was ready to lay :(.
Since then she wont go into her cage at night, shes acting a little weird too, more on edge. She has missed her landing points twice today and fell to the ground so im restricting her out time for a bit and when she is out im closing doors so she cant fly between rooms etc.

Im not sure if this has been caused by the change in routine as ive been home everyday for 3 weeks now. Im not worried for her as such, but im keeping my eye closely on her.

some photos of her, one when I first got her, notice how much red factor she had compared to now.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jfXEGzPnCZ3NvyDDfdS2c2JdGg0c4w8D?usp=sharing
 
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bigfellasdad

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Egg number 2! 3hrs after her bed time but she HAD to be in her draw. For the first time she is holding the egg under her chest rather then just ignore it. When i go over to her she shakes her tail feathers so she must be fine. Thinking ill leave her in her draw over night but get up early, ill leave her lamp on 10%.

My little girl :)
 

LaManuka

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I was wondering when egg nbr two would arrive, it’s rarely only one!

It’s likely that having you home more than usual has contributed to this at least in part. My Lilly presented me with three eggs last December after I was made redundant a month before ... :)
 
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bigfellasdad

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I made it more comfortable in her draw last night and also tried to coax her in to her cage but she really wanted to be in her draw. This morning I came down and she was still there. I've made her a drink but she only had a little to eat. All good I suppose
 

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You might consider boiling Enzo’s eggs if you intend to let her sit on them for a while. Infertile eggs eventually go rancid so if Enzo accidentally breaks the shell and it has been boiled you won’t have a nasty smelly mess to clean up. I don’t know how hard it may be for you to find artificial eggs of the right size but they’re great for eliminating messes and your hen can safely sit on them to her heart’s content until she loses interest. Meanwhile you can play butler to Enzo - I played servant to Lilly, bringing her food and water all day every day for about 3 weeks before she gave up!

If it was me I’d be considering maybe changing Enzo’s name to Enza?! :)
 
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bigfellasdad

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Good call, ill see about boiling the egg but upto now she will only leave it to drink and poop. Ive never seen her like this, normally she will ay an egg and sometime not even look at it.

Butler, indeed I am at this point....

Enza, I like that :D
 

noodles123

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I thought the point of boiling was to ensure that the eggs didn't hatch--- if Enzo wasn't exposed to a male I would just leave them and if they break they break (that's on her-- IMO..DK though). Only remove them once she loses interest
 
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bigfellasdad

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will do. She is definitely not losing interest so far. It must so hard for them all of this. Looking after her all of the same.
 

LaManuka

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I thought the point of boiling was to ensure that the eggs didn't hatch--- if Enzo wasn't exposed to a male I would just leave them and if they break they break (that's on her-- IMO..DK though). Only remove them once she loses interest

Boiling the eggs serves both purposes. Obviously an infertile one won’t hatch but if you’ve got a hen like my Lilly who sits on her eggs for all she’s worth for several weeks they will go bad on the inside after a while. Last time she busted the shell after about 10 days of sitting and if the egg hadn’t been boiled I’d have been cleaning up a nasty bacteria laden mess off both her and my couch. Cleaning a mess like that off of little Lilly is one thing, I certainly wouldn’t like to have to clean up a big, broody, cranky African grey!
 
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bigfellasdad

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Meanwhile in England https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BkB6k_ecnxG8YpRFWHxMlir7VqPWe_DO/view?usp=sharing
For Enzo, its all good in the world.

For me, I cant find a time long enough for me to take and boil the eggs. Enzo now thinks the kitchen is her toilet and will not settle if i move the eggs into her cage, so especially at the moment hygiene is becoming a real issue. She is normally good and goes in her cage or in a usual area where I have puppy pads underneath to catch the mess. I wish I could get her to understand reality...
 

Kimberleygott

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:(Hi this has happened to me to,my eclectous has laid her first egg even though I’ve had her for 7 years. She destroyed the egg herself. She will not settle and I have stopped her going to her nest spot to discourage her from doing it again. She’s doing strange beaking behaviour as if she wants me to feed her like a chick. Which I am ignoring as well. She’s plucked at her feathers. And she constantly calls me with a sort of clucking sound. It’s driving me slightly insane now. I don’t know what to do...?. Please help.
 

LaManuka

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Are you spending more time at home with her now that many of us are in some sort of lockdown?? My Lilly’s egg-laying exploits have all coincided with me spending more time with her either during holidays from work or following being made redundant last November. I think she sees me as her “significant other” and she decided it’d be a great idea to present me with some eggs - ugh!!

I’m not familiar with Eclectus parrots but in my experience with Lilly and a broody cockatiel I once had, where there’s one egg there’s usually another loaded up ready to lay in two or three days time. Keep an eye on your girl and if it looks like she’s straining to pass the egg for an inordinate length of time you will need to visit your vet. Most of the time they’re fine but just occasionally they can become eggbound which is an extremely dangerous situation (not saying that to freak you out but you obviously need to be prepared just in case). As per the previous conversation in this thread you can boil the egg and let her sit on it until she loses interest, provided of course she doesn’t destroy it first. I hope your girl is ok, I know how nerve-wracking it is to have a broody hen in the house!
 
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chris-md

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Aw poor thing, sounds like she is crazy hormonal! And laying for the first time must be scary and surprising for her.

I’m agreeing with lamanuka here: she probably has a second egg on the way. When was the first one laid? Egg binding is a real concern with any hen. If it’s been DAYS since the first egg, time to seek help. Otherwise, you have to just wait it out. Also up the calcium in her diet for a period of time to make up for the calcium lost to the eggs.
 
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bigfellasdad

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Yeah sounds like she is wanting to go to her nest to lay. I gave in to enzo and let her go to it, she laid within an hour. So not sure if it's dangerous to stop her going?

Enzo is still on her nest with three eggs now and this looks like her last. I've not been able to boil the eggs as she will only leave them for a few minutes at a time so cant boil and allow to cool...
 
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bigfellasdad

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Hi there, I managed to get Enzo to stay in her cage with her eggs in a cardboard box and towel. She only leaves them now for a few minutes as at time to eat/drink or poop. She has started getting very protective, running off her eggs all poofed up in an aggressive manner if I approach, cover up or anything. Its been nearly a month now, assuming this natural and she things eggs are due to hatch? Feel so sad for her.
 

LaManuka

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I must say I’m surprised Enza ( ;) ) hasn’t managed to break those eggs before now!

Not sure how long an African grey would normally sit on eggs before hatching. With purple crowned lorikeets it’s apparently about 3 weeks before babies hatch. Lilly sat on hers for more like 4 weeks before I decided she’d had enough and I removed the (faux) egg and all nesting material. She looked a bit confused for a few hours but went back to normal pretty quickly really. That was just prior to last Christmas and, cross fingers, she hasn’t laid any more since. But I have to watch her every single day for any sign of hormonal behaviour!

Unless your grey inadvertently destroys the eggs earlier, maybe just give her a few days beyond the usual hatch time for her species and then make the decision for her.
 
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bigfellasdad

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Oh thanks... this was my thoughts too, so glad I'm on the right track. She has been incredibly gentle and caring for these eggs.
 

LaManuka

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Yes it’s a bit of a balancing act. Too soon and she may get cross with you!

The first two times Lilly laid eggs I boiled them but after about three weeks of very determined sitting she managed to break them all one by one and lost interest by herself. The third time she laid I managed to find an egg substitute - after weeks of fruitless searching for fake eggs of the right size I found a vaguely egg-shaped chunk of white quartz and it just what the doctor ordered. Only problem I discovered with using white quartz is it’s indestructible (at least for a lorikeet!) and she sat on it way longer than before, so I ended up having to call time on her broody shenanigans myself!
 

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