6 Ways To Stop Chronic Egg-Laying In Birds
Is your bird popping out more eggs than what is normal for its species?
If so, you could have a chronic egg-laying problem on your hands.
It’s normal for a female bird to lay eggs, but laying too many eggs can cause a range of problems, including malnutrition and calcium deficiencies.
This article will show you 6 ways to stop chronic egg-laying in your beloved female bird.
But first…
Let’s discuss the common causes, symptoms, and treatments for excessive egg-laying.
Disclosure: I’m not an avian veterinarian or a medical expert. All info in this article has been well researched from reliable sources, but the author himself is not a vet. The info in this article should not be taken as medical advice nor should it surpass any professional recommendations.
Quick Navigation:
- Common Causes Of Chronic Egg-Laying In Pet Birds
- Chronic Egg-Laying Symptoms & Signs
- 6 Ways To Stop Or Reduce Chronic Egg-Laying
- Treatments For Chronic Egg Laying
Common Causes Of Chronic Egg-Laying In Pet Birds
Below is a list of the common causes of chronic egg-laying in birds, according to various expert-approved and avian vet sources.
- The “stop laying eggs” hormone hasn’t been activated – Hormones can influence a female bird’s desire to lay eggs, but there’s another hormone that tells them to stop laying eggs when the time is right. Birds can become chronic egg layers without the activation of that hormone (VCAHospital).
- Nutrient-rich diets – In the wild, many birds will have an abundance of nutrient-rich foods during their natural breeding season. Having nutritious food available can signal to a bird that it’s time to lay eggs as there’s plenty of food to feed her young.
- High-fat diets – Similarly, high-fat foods indicate an abundance of food that they can feed their hatched young. When a female has lots of fat in her diet, it signals a reproductive cycle.
- Removing eggs as soon as they’re laid – Removing the eggs your female laid will only encourage them to lay more eggs to replace the ones you pinched. A solution to this problem is coming up!
- The presence of nesting materials – Nesting materials can include paper and cardboard. Being able to shred and lay padding for a nest can influence egg-laying behaviour.
- Environmental factors – Warm weather, increased day lengths, spring season, and rainfall can trigger egg-laying.
- Sexual stimulation – Both human owners and male birds can sexually stimulate a female bird, which can lead to egg-laying.
- Having a mate available – Being in the presence of a male bird is enough to trigger reproductive desires. Birds can also see their human carers and even toys as potential mates, which can cause egg-laying.
- Availability of nesting sites – Breeding boxes, happy huts, and other dark cavities can be perceived as potential nests.
- Genetic factors – Some birds are genetically prone to chronic egg-laying. (Lafeber)
- Diseases linked to reproductive organs – Can contribute to excessive egg-laying.
Which Birds Are Prone To Chronic Egg-Laying?
Chronic egg-laying can occur in all species of birds and parrots.
According to VCAHospital, hand-raised birds are more prone to the condition than wild-caught or parent-raised birds. It’s also said that cockatiels, budgies, lovebirds, conures, eclectus parrots, lorikeets, and chickens are most commonly seen laying an excessive number of eggs. (UnusualPetVets)
Chronic Egg-Laying Symptoms & Signs
Delivering more eggs than normal for a single clutch or attempting to make more clutches than usual for the year are obvious signs of chronic egg-laying.
However, birds with the condition may also show the following behavioural symptoms:
- Lethargy
- Reduced energy and activity levels near the cage or nest
- Increased aggression and territorial behaviour
Normal Egg Laying Vs. Chronic Egg Laying
Different bird species will lay a different amount of eggs per clutch.
For example, chickens can lay roughly 8 – 12 eggs per clutch while cockatiels and budgies lay only 4 – 6 eggs per clutch. A female cockatiel laying 5 eggs is considered normal, but it’s abnormal for them to exceed 7 eggs for the clutch.
Laying more eggs than what is normal for the species is what defines chronic egg-laying.
It’s also abnormal for a bird to lay more clutches per year than what is typical for the species.
Since cockatiels naturally only lay two clutches a year, it’s considered chronic egg-laying if they lay more than 3 clutches in 1 year.
Is A Vet Trip Necessary For Chronic Egg-Laying?
You should inform your avian vet about any egg-laying problems your bird is having.
Your avian vet will give you much better advice than anything you find on the internet because they can actually see your bird. Not only will a vet offer home remedy solutions to chronic egg laying, but they’ll usually offer advice on how to prevent your egg-laying bird from becoming egg-bound.
Related: Egg Binding In Birds – Causes, Symptoms, & Prevention
A vet may also prescribe medicine or suggest medical procedures if needed.
I believe you should always keep your vet in the loop about what’s happening with your bird!
6 Ways To Stop Or Reduce Chronic Egg Laying
It’s ok if you don’t feel the need to rush to the vet as soon as you notice excessive egg-laying, there are plenty of things you can do right now to reduce the behaviour.
Below are 6 tricks you can try in order to stop or at least reduce chronic egg-laying:
1. Provide Plenty Of Calcium
Producing, shelling, and laying an egg takes a lot of calcium from the bird’s body.
To ensure your egg-laying bird doesn’t suffer from malnutrition or calcium deficiencies, make sure they have regular access to calcium sources. Some good calcium sources include cuttlebones, mineral blocks, and calcium-rich veggies.
This won’t stop chronic egg-laying, but it’ll secure your bird’s good health while they’re dealing with it.
2. STOP Removing Recently Laid Eggs From The Cage
Many owners respond to egg-laying by removing the eggs from the cage.
However, VCAHospitals says that this may not be the best response as it encourages the bird to lay more eggs to replace the ones you stole. Instead, allow the hen the sit on the eggs for 21 – 28 days before you start removing one egg each day.
To be clear, you should remove one egg every day AFTER the 21 – 28 day incubation period.
The idea here is to allow your bird to be a mother for a while to make her lose the desire to lay more eggs. This does stop egg-laying temporarily, but some birds might restart the reproductive process once all the eggs have been removed.
Even if they do start again, at least they’ve had time to recover from laying the previous eggs.
3. Reduce Her Access To Potential Mates
Being in the presence of a potential mating partner is enough to trigger egg-laying behaviour.
Since this is the case, the solution is as simple as reducing her access to those mates.
Some birds not only see male birds as probable mates, but they can also see their favourite humans, favourite toys, or even mirrors as mates.
It’s best to remove anything from your hen’s environment that makes her feel “naughty”.
If this is another bird, they should be kept in separate cages and ideally in separate rooms.
Even hearing or seeing them can cause trouble, so keep this in mind.
4. Let Them Sleep For An Extra Hour Or Two
Reducing a bird’s daylight exposure can help calm hormonal and reproductive behaviours. (VCAHospitals)
You’re probably providing 12 hours of sleep to your bird, which is good, but extending that time to 13 – 14 hours can help stop chronic egg-laying. As mentioned, increased day length can cause egg laying in female birds, so this method simply counters that.
5. Avoid Sexually Stimulating Your Bird
Reproductive behaviours, such as chronic egg-laying, can be triggered by sexual stimulation.
To stop or prevent egg laying, ensure your female bird can’t be sexually stimulated.
Don’t pet her along the back and don’t allow a male bird to “woo” her.
Only scratch around the neck as that’s the safe zone.
If you keep her sexual desires calm, she’s less likely to become a chronic egg layer.
6. Remove Shredding Materials & Potential Nests
Shreddable materials, such as paper and cardboard, can be perceived as nest preparation materials.
You should remove these from your bird’s environment.
Having access to those materials can send confusing signals to your hen, especially if she’s already displaying hormonal behaviour. Additionally, you must also remove anything that resembles a potential nest.
Birds usually perceive any dark hollow to be a possible nesting site.
Remove breeding boxes, and happy huts, and restrict access to other dark cavities, such as under the bed, in a cupboard, or even in your hoody.
Treatments For Chronic Egg Laying
The treatment used for chronic egg-laying depends on the cause. (UnusualPetVets)
Besides proposing home remedy solutions to stop egg-laying, vets may also suggest the use of hormonal injections or implants to calm the bird’s reproductive desires. A rare treatment for this condition involves surgery to remove the bird’s uterus, which is dangerous for the bird.
However, this is only done if nothing else could stop the excessive egg-laying.
How Chronic Egg-Laying Is Diagnosed
Diagnosing chronic egg laying is usually done through physical exams or from what you say to the vet.
In many cases, simply telling the vet that your bird is laying many eggs is enough for a diagnosis and to begin treatment.
But if this isn’t enough, your vet may conduct the following tests:
- Organ function testing
- X-rays
These tests are rarely used to diagnose chronic egg-laying, but it’s an option. (UnusualPetVets)
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