9 year old jenday conure laying eggs

[hellokitty]

My Jenday is 9 and she's laying her first eggs. she was chirping oddly last night, and her vent and tummy were puffy. My husband and I thought that it could be sexual stimulation, but when I woke at 6:30 am, there was a cracked egg . . . She must have laid it when she was sitting on her perch. She hasn't been attached to it, but today her tummy is still puffy . . . I'm guessing she'll pass another egg.

We have a QUAKER PARAKEET, and there's been debate about whether the eggs are fertile . . . I didn't open the cracked egg, so I can't say for sure, but they've been sexual with one another . ..

I'm pretty concerned because she's never done this before, and we've had the quaker with her for about 7 years. We figured that if this were to happen, it would have happened by now.

She's eating, pooping, she seems like she's in good spirits right now. she let me handle the cracked egg.
ACK! How can I get her to stop egg laying? Make a nest and 'ride it out' or make her cage as barren as possible? Let her keep the eggs or get rid of them ASAP? Add more Ca in her diet, or reduce Ca?

I know that some suggest let her nest with the eggs, but she just wants to sit with me right now. She's not interested in nesting in her cage or with the egg . . . I'm guessing she knows that something is wrong with the cracked egg . . .

[Florence]

Ow, I'm sorry. In a former reaction to one of your posts I wished you luck with potential hatchlings and now only do I read this.

I still think it's better not to take the egg away since having eggs around seem to stop the continuation of laying further eggs...

[hellokitty]

OK . . .even though she's not really interested in the egg AND it's cracked. I guess that I don't want to leave it in there and accidently freak her out . . .

Also - should I let her keep a NEST - she sits at the bottom of her cage A LOT, or should I remove the seed-catcher, so that she can't NEST there?

[Florence]

Well, I would leave it to her actually....

[Beaks]

if she doesnt have a mate then the eggs will be infertile (a quaker and a jenday cant produce a viable egg.

if she wants to sit on the eggs then let her do it for a couple of weeks and then take them out and throw them away.

[hellokitty]

My husband researched and believes that they CAN mate and reproduce . . . In any case, she ended up laying 4 eggs, and she plucked a brood patch. She seems relaxed now, though. She's been chewing and pulling her feathers for a few years. It got REALLY bad after I got pregnant with my son (maybe she sensed that I was having a baby and she wanted chicks . . . ); she ended up damaging her skin, and we had to take her to the avian vet for stitches and a collar. We took the collar off when she began egg-laying, to make her more comfortable. We've not put the collar back on yet, and she seems OK . . . she's not resumed plucking/chewing her feathers.

[Florence]

Great! Featherplucking is quite an obnoxious thing to get rid of, but as it seems your bird has overcome it. How are the eggs doing?

[hellokitty]

The eggs aren't fertile, and she's finally ignoring them . . . We'll probably remove them from her cage today, and if she's fine with that, then we'll dispose of them tues or wed ;o)

[Florence]

Great care, and very thoughtful. She's a lucky bird with an owner like you

[hellokitty]

OK, it's Jan 4, 08, and my jenday's belly is "puffy" again!!! Can she be laying eggs again! (The last time was Sept. 30, 07) Isn't it too soon?

also, the last time, as you'll recall, the eggs were infertile. She and my quaker have been "romantic" lately - just like before - I really hope that there are no "viable" hatchlings . . .

Also, there seems to be a brood patch, but this time there's a scab . . . When I was pregnant (maybe she sensed it and got jealous), she plucked and made a HOLE in her chest so large, we had to get stitches. This time, it looks like she stopped before she really injured herself.

Any ideas! Yikes!