Female Societies - Questions

[4Ellen]

I've found a breeder of Societies not too far from me. She has many female Societies in several different color mutations.

Do females lay eggs even without a male present? Do they suffer from egg-binding? I'm interested in buying several females from her but wanted to ask these questions first.

Can anyone tell me more about the female Society? Thanks!

[Corkysgirl]

Yes females will lay eggs even without males present, they just won't be fertilized. They can get egg bound but if they have enough calcium and an adequate diet of seeds, enough protein and vegetables this shouldn't happen. Always keep on hand a liquid calcium supplement for an emergency in case it does happen to quickly remedy the situation. You can't find it in any drug store. Also a heat lamp and moisture helps. There's always someone to help if you run into a health issue.

[MiaCarter]

4Ellen -- I think Corey covered all the essentials.

I just wanted to add a reply to your question, "Can anyone tell me more about the female Society?"

They are really a delightful bird.
A bit less animated than the males, who do an adorable song and dance, but they're very sweet. Societies are among the happiest, sweetest creatures ever. They're just so darn jolly! Lovely birds. They always make me happy just watching them.
They're very laid back; not much bothers them. They don't stress easily like many other species.

Of course, they're not a dimorphic species, so you can only determine gender by behavior and, of course, by egg laying.
But a good breeder will have already sorted that for you.

[Sheather]

I find societies fairly dimorphic and easy to sex. Males have wedge-shaped heads and heavier bills, while females have rounded, sometimes even bubble-shaped foreheads and smaller bills in comparison. Their non-song vocalizations differ as well - females are more vocal, with a call reminescent of a cricket - "chirrupchirrupchirrup, chirrup, chirrupchirrup". Males are quieter and more hoarse, with a call like "cheh, cheh, cheh" or "er, er, er".

[4Ellen]

The breeder did tell me that she divided the males from the females in different cages already so I guess I'll just have to trust her. She's still a good drive away (90 min.) She'll only sell a male with a female if you want a male in the mix. I don't want to breed so that's why I'm staying away from pairs.

I was worried about eggs. So if they aren't fertilized, what do I do with them? How often will these girls lay eggs and how many eggs do they usually lay?

I'm thinking on getting 4 females but not sure yet although they do sound cute.

[mayble]

It's been my experience that a hen won't lay eggs without a high protein diet and/or a nest. Those are big breeding triggers.
I've had hens lay eggs in a nest I provided for sleeping (I removed the nest - no more eggs). Another hen laid eggs on the cage floor when I wasn't quick enough to provide her and her mate with a nestbox (they were getting eggfood, etc, in preparation for breeding).
I have mixed male/female flights with 10-15 birds - no nests, no eggs.
I haven't been at this as long as some folks on here, but personally I don't think you need to worry about it.
Enjoy your birds!!

[4Ellen]

Very interesting! No nest and no high protein diet = No eggs. So should I not give extra calcium to them either? I was just planning on giving them their seed mix, veggies, leafy greens, water, egg food...or would egg food stimulate them to laying eggs?

[MiaCarter]

Very interesting! No nest and no high protein diet = No eggs. So should I not give extra calcium to them either? I was just planning on giving them their seed mix, veggies, leafy greens, water, egg food...or would egg food stimulate them to laying eggs?

Well, not exactly.
I've tried the no nest/no high protein and I still got eggs. They'll still lay in the seed dish.

I would definitely give them extra calcium and a multivitamin, as they need this to be healthy. And if they're calcium depleted and they do lay an egg, the risk of egg binding is quite high.

@Sheather -- that's interesting on your ability to determine gender by appearance. I can't say I've ever noticed distinct differences, though I've definitely looked. I'll definitely look for those traits you mentioned!

I had a couple males who did the cricketey chirrrup chirrrup vocalization that the females do, but you're right - they were definitely quieter and did it less frequently.

I still find behavior is the best way to determine gender, but it can be tricky because sometimes they pair off in same-sex pairs and one will adopt the role of the opposite gender.
But breeders are the most reliable sources of a particular gender for monomorphic species, I've found. Since they can watch their behavior in the long term in a relaxed environment. (Whereas if you're in a pet shop, you can't observe for long and they're stressed so it's not as reliable.)

[SeaChelle]

I still find behavior is the best way to determine gender, but it can be tricky because sometimes they pair off in same-sex pairs and one will adopt the role of the opposite gender.

I currently have a large flight with 6 society hens and this is exactly what has happened with mine. We recently started hearing a new and unusual sound coming from our bird room and later realized that it was one of the hens attempting to sing. She also puffs up and dances just like a male.

All six hens still lay eggs regularly, so I still provide different sources of calcium. I tried not giving them eggfood for a while and they still laid eggs and so now I provide it once per week just to be safe. They've never had an egg binding issue.

[MariusStegmann]

4Ellen, why don't you rather get 2 males. If you find a society with real pretty markings, you will often find that it is a male. The males have a nice song and don't fight. Some people even use 2 males as foster parents. Where I live, it is very difficult to find female society finches. Out 10 birds, you will be lucky to find one female.

[4Ellen]

Last night, I bought 2 male Zebras. I wanted to make sure the finches I got were indeed males so I decided to go with Zebras. They're cute but I'm a little worried about one already (posted the question in the "Health" section)