timing before laying an egg?

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ellieelectrons
Posts: 2708
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

timing before laying an egg?

Post by ellieelectrons »

Hi All

My male and female have been mating for months now but I hadn't provided a nestbox until recently. I don't particularly want them to breed. We provided the nestbox to curbe the amount of nest seeking she was doing in the house. What I'd like to know is how long would it usually take once they have the nestbox to produce eggs? She's 6 years old. She laid a clutch of five eggs 2 years ago with no problems. I thought she would have laid by now. I don't mind if she doesn't lay but I also don't want her to be egg bound. How long should I wait before taking her to the avian vet or what signs should I look for to know she is in distress. She spends a lot of time in the box and is already producing the humungous poops they produce when they are on eggs. I _think_ her vent area is looking bigger but I'm not sure. She comes out of the cage to have a small fly. This afternoon she was flying somewhere behind me and I'm not sure, but she may have fallen... I didn't see it, so I don't really know what happened.

Thanks in advance.

Ellie.
ellieelectrons
Posts: 2708
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Re: timing before laying an egg?

Post by ellieelectrons »

Since I haven't had any responses yet, thought I'd try to reframe my question.

If you have a bird who is showing signs of wanting to lay eggs (eg. hanging out in the nestbox, mating, territorial aggression), how long is it generally before she should start laying eggs? If eggs are not laid, what are the signs I should look for re egg binding or other reproductive problems?

I realise that I may be having an early panic here but I'd appreciate any advice.

Ellie.
Wessel Gordon
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Location: South Africa
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Re: timing before laying an egg?

Post by Wessel Gordon »

Ellie,

I'm not an experienced breeder (only just started with one breeding pair) it seems like 4-5 days.

I moved my breeding pair into a bigger outdoor aviary in mid to end July so I figured they won't settle down till next season but she pretty soon became territorial around her chosen nest. An ex-pigeon breeder visited me and after one look predicted she'll be laying eggs in a few days...she indeed started laying and is currently in the second week of incubating a clutch of eggs.

However, that's just my experience and I might be a few days off. I'm in a wheelchair and can't get close to the female's nest to confirm on how many eggs she is sitting on so I'm relying on her behavior to indicate when she might have laid an egg.

Regards,

Wessel
ellieelectrons
Posts: 2708
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Re: timing before laying an egg?

Post by ellieelectrons »

Thanks Wessell. That's kinda what I thought it should be. That's how I remember it last time we gave her a box 2 years ago. They are recovering from a disruption. We went away for almost two weeks when we left them with friends. They gave her the nestbox whilst she was staying with them because she was trying to nest in their oven. So then when we brought her home (almost a week ago), we kept the nestbox. I hope she's okay. She doesn't seem sick. She can still fly okay. She's eating. I guess it could be all of the disruptions? I'm just worried that she might be egg bound or be having some other problem.

Ellie.
McmillanBirds
Posts: 339
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:39 am
Location: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Re: timing before laying an egg?

Post by McmillanBirds »

Hi Ellie

This year my season has been very disrupted. I moved half of my pairs to the new house and I have a dog that thinks it's a game to run around their avairies and disturb them as much as he can. My 1 pair that I expected to nest early july only went down 2.5 weeks ago. Another pair I had seen mating a good 2 months ago has only just started laying. A few pairs had spent a month + in and out of their nest boxes preparing. Some have started laying whilst others I am still waiting for.

If Janey still lets you handle her somewhat and if you are worried about her being egg bound, you can gently feel around the vent area for any abnormalities and hardness. That she is still pooping is a good sign that she isn't egg bound.

Just keep a close eye on her and try give her lots of fruits, veg high in vitamins/calcium.

Take Care
Carmen
ellieelectrons
Posts: 2708
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Re: timing before laying an egg?

Post by ellieelectrons »

Thanks Carmen :)
ellieelectrons
Posts: 2708
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Re: timing before laying an egg?

Post by ellieelectrons »

Egg Number 1 this morning. Crisis averted. I can stop panicking now! :)
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