egg eating

[tammieb]

I have a pair of strawberries who are eating the eggs the hen is laying on the floor of the flight cage. This is a habit I would rather they not start for obvious reasons, but removing the eggs as I find them is about all I can do to prevent them being eaten by the strawberries or one of the other species in the flight. (I see where Jeannette is having problems breeding some of her finches as they are eating their eggs.)

So are the strawberries eating the eggs because they aren't allowed to breed or is this an accquired taste that could present a problem down the road?

Anyone have an opinion on whether this is a legitimate concern or not?

[Crystal]

Although I've never seen any "scientific" article that discusses this subject or its causes in finches, I do know that the general feeling within the finch breeding community is that this sort of behavior is a "bad habit which is difficult to break" and that it is best to do everything you can to prevent the birds from developing "a taste for their own eggs."

I put these things in quotes because I'm not sure if the concerns are truly valid; however, it is probably better to be safe than sorry.

I do know that birds will "clean up" their own eggs if the egg breaks; if your hen is laying her eggs from a perch and they fall to the floor and break, it is most likely for this reason that they are being eaten (as opposed to the hen laying an intact egg and then breaking it on purpose to eat it).

The same is true of a bird who accidentally punctures an egg in its own nest due to having long nails or being overzealous with nest construction after the egg(s) have been laid.

I personally would consider "clean up" a normal activity for enhanced survival--better the finches eat these eggs before they attract a snake, etc.

One possible reason birds might eat their own eggs on purpose (and not just clean up a broken mess) is if they need the nutrients. So long as you are providing them a boiled chicken egg and so forth on a regular basis (3x a week or more) and a constant source of calcium, this should not be a concern in your case.

Other proposed causes of "cannibalism" in other bird species include stress (e.g. human disturbance), poor husbandry, and boredom.

[tammieb]

Thanks for your response Crystal.

After reading your post I checked to see if the egg splat from yesterday was under a perch. It was. The intact egg I found while cleaning the cage yesterday was not beneath a perch. SO, I'm hoping that they are only eating the eggs that are broken. I would like to breed this pair when I can find the room for a breeder cage and the resulting offspring.

Thanks again.

[JeannetteD]

I'm sorry to hear about your problem too, Tammie! I hope that it's more of a survival instinct they're displaying rather than a bad habit.

I'm still trying to figure out who is making the eggs disappear. They're separated now though so .. fingers crossed again

Jeannette