My lovebird laid one broken egg outside the nest. Will she lay more?

A single female will lay eggs even without a male as you've discovered. It should not harm her. Consider leaving the egg in the cage until she loses interest in it. Removing it too soon may trigger more egglaying. Offer a pelleted diet, fortified seed mix and a cuttlebone or mineral block to ensure she has adequate amounts of calcium in her diet.

She will lay eggs with or without a male present. Provide a suitable nesting box to keep the eggs secure. Any eggs she lays in the next few days may be fertile. Most birds lay one egg every 24 hours until a clutch of 4-6 eggs is in the nest, then incubation will begin.

Thanks for reaching out about Nanu. Was the egg broken in the nest or did she lay it from a perch and fell? Sometimes birds know the egg is not fertile and will break it. Stress might also cause behavioral changes where they break/eat the egg. Maintain a good diet as laying lots of eggs is a huge calcium loss and they need to replenish. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Lakshmi. The female probably was aware of the egg having difficulty, so kicked it out of the nest. Continue to monitor. Ensure that diet is adequate as the chicks will need good nutrition. Seed is not sufficient as lacks vitamins, minerals, protein and more. Good luck.

Thanks for your question about Bibi. Budgies typically only form one egg at a time inside their bodies, so if Bibi just laid an egg, she hopefully doesn’t have another present yet. With that said, they can form and lay an egg in about 24 hours, so she may be making another one currently that you could see in another day or two. Usually budgies will lay around 3-5 eggs. I didn’t see if this was the first egg of her clutch or not, but if it is, she is likely to lay more. I would recommend keeping a close eye on her to make sure she isn’t having difficulty laying her additional eggs and that her appetite is normal. Providing her with extra calcium will be important while she is laying as well. I hope that helps to answer your question, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for reaching out about Peaches. Does the diet normally include any calcium sources, such as green vegetables? Calcium supplements do need to be kept within reason, as oversupplementation can lead to calcification of kidneys. Are the eggs soft? Photoperiod manipulation, removing nests, separating from mates, can all help to reduce egg laying. A veterinary visit is recommended as some hormones might help. Good luck.

That is a lot of eggs and very spread out for a viable clutch. If none of the early ones have hatched they are likely not viable and should be removed from the nest. If you are not looking to breed or raise babies, removing the nest can help prevent additional egg laying. Make sure you are also providing a calcium supplement in addition to Peaches' regular food to help replenish the nutrients from laying so many eggs!