Green-wing macaws

Hello all. I was wondering about the time line between the mating & egg laying. My Mea is a 14 year old Green-Wing. She has been hand raise by me, from the egg. She dose have a 5 year old male in with her. She has been going in & out of her nest box for about a week now. . This is the first time she has done this type of behavior. How do I tell if she has a egg in side of her. I do not want to brother her if she is trying to lay. None of my 7 birds are in cages. We built on to our house so they are a really big area of courses there is a wall in between the big and smaller parrots. Can any one out there know about this type of thing
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

Hi there,

You'll want to make sure the two birds you have breeding are in their own enclosure -- as with any big mas that breed they WILL get territorial and will need their own space, barred off from other big birds you have and from you so you can keep yourself safe as well. Breeding birds does not happen with birds who live in the open atmosphere of a home, but rather in an aviary, huge double cage or enclosure of some sort. Allowing them to be out in the house with you will take away from them wanting to breed, so it's best to get them focused on each other and the nest by keeping them separated from the group and other birds for everyone's safety.

They get SUPER hormonal and territorial of their nest once they get into breeding mode, even your hand-raised Greenwing will turn feisty and her mate likely won't allow you near the nest once they start producing.

Macaws won't start laying in a week -- it can take months to years before they feel comfortable enough to lay eggs. Most breeders will make sure the couple have their own space designated for just themselves so they can entirely focus on each other and breeding, otherwise there's so many distractions they won't settle down to nest in peace.

They should be checked by an avian vet to ensure they are both healthy. At 5 years old her mate is JUST beginning to mature -- because of his young age he may not be able to have fertile chicks for another few years -- around 7 years of age is when they start to mature, and by 10 they are fully mature and hormonal and prepared to defend their nest, their young and attack all others who come near. So it may take another couple years until they produce any chicks. So don't expect any chicks from them for a while.

It's also important they are on a healthy diet including veggies, nuts and a good source of calcium for the hen.

Hope this helps a little!