Congo african grey - no ring, rescue, laid three eggs - how many is too many?

[Jacksmother12]

Hi all,

My parents rescued a parrot that bonded to me.

I moved out for a couple of years and recently moved her in with me - so it's just me and her now, and she is happy.

However, she laid an egg. A couple of days later, another egg emerged - and this morning, a third.

She is eating plenty - seed, fresh fruit and veg every day, but I'm worried because have read that chronic egg laying is dangerous.

She is my best friend and I don't want to risk her health. How many is too many? Will she stop? Shall I remove them? Advice appreciated!

 

[Flboy]

Hi, I have never been through this, but! Usual ad vice is to leave the eggs, or that will stimulate more laying! Sneak them out and hard boil them. Cooled, sneak them back! After a bit she should loose interest! Pregnancies are so scary!

 

[Anansi]

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

The chronic egg-laying you've heard about is a reference to the frequency with which she lays clutches of eggs, not how many individual eggs are laid in a single clutch. That said, three eggs is the typical clutch size for an African Grey.

The advice David gave is spot-on. If you remove any of the eggs, she'll lay more to replace them. So you could in fact sneak them out, boil them and put them back after cooling as he suggested. Or you could buy a set of artificial eggs which are sold for this very purpose. Sub them in when you get the chance, and then leave them there until she eventually loses interest.

Going forward, you want to do all you can to avoid hormonal triggers that might be leading to the egg laying.
-So, no dark and cozy spaces that could conceivably resemble a nesting hollow. This includes nesting boxes and sleepy hut type tents.
-No petting the back, under the wings, along the base of the tail, or (obviously) anywhere near the groin area.
-You'll want to be more vigilant with her sleep times. Longer daylight hours = mating season, so get her to sleep earlier.
-Cut down on foods high in sugar and fat. A diet rich in these also triggers the need to reproduce.

Following these suggestions won't ensure she never lays more eggs. But they will lower the chances and, at the very least, reduce the frequency.

 

[Jacksmother12]

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

The chronic egg-laying you've heard about is a reference to the frequency with which she lays clutches of eggs, not how many individual eggs are laid in a single clutch. That said, three eggs is the typical clutch size for an African Grey.

The advice David gave is spot-on. If you remove any of the eggs, she'll lay more to replace them. So you could in fact sneak them out, boil them and put them back after cooling as he suggested. Or you could buy a set of artificial eggs which are sold for this very purpose. Sub them in when you get the chance, and then leave them there until she eventually loses interest.

Going forward, you want to do all you can to avoid hormonal triggers that might be leading to the egg laying.
-So, no dark and cozy spaces that could conceivably resemble a nesting hollow. This includes nesting boxes and sleepy hut type tents.
-No petting the back, under the wings, along the base of the tail, or (obviously) anywhere near the groin area.
-You'll want to be more vigilant with her sleep times. Longer daylight hours = mating season, so get her to sleep earlier.
-Cut down on foods high in sugar and fat. A diet rich in these also triggers the need to reproduce.

Following these suggestions won't ensure she never lays more eggs. But they will lower the chances and, at the very least, reduce the frequency.

Thanks so much both.

This comment has set my mind at ease though - I completely misinterpreted chronic laying and worried that's what she was doing, and didn't want her to get unwell.

I'm not sure I feel comfortable boiling her eggs (I know - they are just infertile eggs!!) so my partner has agreed to do it. Will make the swap and hope she gets bored soon. I miss our head scratches and being her taxi!

Thanks again - so much! :red:

 

[bigfellasdad]

My enzos going through this too. A month in and she is still on 3 eggs, she laid four in total which I believe is normal.

 

[LaManuka]

The idea behind boiling infertile eggs is that the eggshell is prone to breakage, which will leave you with a nasty smelly bacteria laden mess if she’s been sitting on them for a while and they’ve gone rancid. I’ve gone through several rounds of this with my lorikeet and she usually breaks the shell after 2 weeks or so of determined sitting. You are definitely best advised to boil the eggs because I don’t think you’d want to be cleaning up a mess like that from the feathers of a cranky broody African grey!