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Conference 7.286::pet_birds

Title:Captive Breeding for Conservation--and FUN!
Notice:INTROS 6.X / FOR SALE 13.X / Buying a Bird 900.*
Moderator:VIDEO::PULSIFER
Created:Mon Oct 10 1988
Last Modified:Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:942
Total number of notes:6016

205.0. "Crazy Egg laying finches" by TOOPHE::SODANO () Fri Jun 23 1989 07:59

    I do not own any birds,but am very interested. I have enjoyed
    all the information I have gotten from this file. I have shared
    this information with a friend who has 2 female Cordon Bleu finches.
    There hasn't been much discussion on finches,but I hope some of
    you might have some answers to a problem Kay is having.
    She put a nest in the cage because she thought they needed a place
    to sleep and found out soon after that her particular birds were
    perch sleepers. It turned out that they both loved the nest and
    liked to sleep in it. Well,one of them started laying eggs and just
    recently the other did too,usually 6 or 8 each time. so far they
    have laid about 54 eggs and spend all their time in the nest,so
    she never gets to see them. Last week she tried taking the nest
    out and they got very upset and were not active, sitting around
    with their feathers all fluffed out. Kay can't stand to see them
    unhappy so she put the nest back and they were happy again.....
    and laying more eggs. She doesn't know what to do now and besides
    not seeing them much she's afraid that laying all those eggs will
    take too much out of them.
    Does anyone have a solution?
    
    Deana
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
205.1My Zebras did the same thing!NYFS01::CHERYLCheryl McGintyFri Jun 23 1989 08:2718
    I have zebra finches and thr first 2 females I had did the very same
    thing.  I didn't take the eggs out of the nest and they did stop.  At
    first I was taking the eggs out, but they kept laying.  After they had
    stopped laying I took the eggs out and they didn't lay any more.  Kept
    them filled up with cuttlebones tho.  Also, I used the open nests so
    that even if they were in the nests, I could see them.  Somewhere in
    this notesfile (or maybe the old one) someone said something about
    plastic eggs.  I never saw them as small as the finch eggs, but maybe?
    
    Try leaving a few eggs in the nest and maybe they'll get the idea that
    they aren't going to hatch.  
    
    BTW...This all happened before the eggs got to smell.  In fact, they
    even ate a few of the eggs before I got rid of them.
    
    Good luck,
    cheryl
205.2Such a small bird,so many eggs!!ROULET::COMEAU88'Noter's Heavy Weight ChampionWed Oct 04 1989 02:4811
    
    I am puzzled at my two Zebra Finches,the poor female has layed close
    to 50 eggs in the last 6mons. and there still either tossing the
    eggs out of the nest or burying them under there nesting material.
    
    Right now she is nesting on eight eggs and she's still laying I
    don't understand why they hav'nt hatched any yet.
    
    Any suggestions would be appreciated!
    
    Peter'
205.3They'll figure it out soon....NYFS01::CHERYLCheryl Lee CorrellWed Oct 04 1989 09:4114
    My finches did the same thing when I first got them.  They were both
    females and they just kept laying.  Eventually, they realized that they
    would never hatch and then just laid occasionally.  Now I have males
    and females together in one cage and I still don't get as many eggs as
    when I just had the two females.....maybe they're smarter than I thought.
    
    As long as they're getting enough calcium and stuff, It's probably ok.
    (At least that's what I was told and they're ok now.)
    
    I guess you'll have to start eating omelettes....8-)
    
    Cheryl