Egg Alert

[Claire+Charlie]

So a few weeks ago my zeb couple laid eggs and I was going to let them hatch, but with the traveling I am doing and a busy schedule I decided it wasn't going to work out so I took them out. I also took out the nest, per ya'll's advice to try to keep them from having more eggs. And I moved one of the perches much higher in the cage so that they would comfortably sleep there and they have been! Butttt Claire and Charlie are too in love and even though there is no nest and nothing to make a nest with they were at it again. A few days later I find an egg on the bottom of the cage... weird thing is she laid it at about 5pm. That was yesterday, and just now I was watching them and noticed claire cuddling up real close to Charlie and fluffing up her feathers. I was watching closely because I thought it was cute they were cuddling and then next thing I know out pops an egg!!! I can't believe I actually watched it happen! It dropped on the ground and Claire went and checked it out some but then they left it alone.

Point of this post is 1) I just wanted to share that I just saw this! and

2) Does it mean something is wrong if Claire is laying these eggs in the evening and not in the early morning? I've been giving them plenty of hard boiled eggs with shells to try to keep her calcium levels up.

also 3) Would ya'll suggest trying a nest with fake eggs instead of just taking out the nest? Or should I just leave the nest out and hope that they finally learn their lesson?

[Lacybug]

That's awesome you saw it happen! I've been like a second too late; think it's about to happen, but look away only to hear the egg hit the floor lol.

Anyway, it can take a little while for them to get out of "breeding mode" even after you remove the nest. When I took my birds' nest out, they still mated once more, and practically laid a whole other clutch on the ground, but then they stopped.

You'll get mixed opinions on whether or not to keep giving them egg, as it can trigger breeding behavior, but I think it's better to keep giving it to them for its benefits, especially as you keep finding eggs anyway.

Also, I've never heard that it's a bad thing if they lay eggs at night. In fact one of my hens lays at night, so it's probably just a different normal for some hens.

[Sally]

I would cut back on the egg. You can still offer it, just not on a daily basis. The higher protein levels trigger the breeding response. That is awesome that you got to see the egg being laid. I've only seen it one time, the hen was on the perch with her butt facing me, so I got a really good view. It's surprising how quickly the egg comes out.