How often do lovebirds lay eggs, and is frequent egg laying normal?

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!

Typical clutch size for lovebirds is 4 to 6 eggs. The hen will lay one egg every 48 hours until the full clutch is laid. The incubation period is 21 to 24 days. If you don't have a male lovebird, the eggs will be infertile. Remove them after 3-4 weeks or when the hen abandons the nest. Feed a fortified diet with extra calcium which can be depleted from egg laying.

If Peaches is laying eggs frequently and you don't want her to, then simply removing any nesting material can help prevent her from doing so. If she continues to lay eggs, you can just remove any laid eggs and make sure she has an extra calcium supplement in addition to a balanced diet to prevent egg binding. Egg food or cuttlebone can both be used to help supplement calcium. Covering at night greatly depends on your own sleep schedule. I've never hard of a set "hours of sleep" lovebirds need, but covering the cage at night when it gets dark, and removing the cover in the morning when you wake up should be fine and help ensure Peaches gets peaceful rest.

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.

Thanks for reaching out about Fifi. Typically most bird will lay eggs 48 hours apart. The time from ovulation to egg laying is usually around 40 hours. As the ovum traverses the female reproductive tract, all the additional layers of the egg are deposited (albumen, shell membranes, shell). Birds usually lay in the early morning hours. Some birds will only lay one egg and can be normal. Some will lay 6-8 eggs and will potentially double clutch if the eggs are removed or destroyed. 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 Fifi. Birds aren't "pregnant" per se but are seasonally estrus. They typically lay eggs every 48 hours for several eggs. The female being receptive to a male is unusual after initial periods of copulation, as the female can store sperm for several weeks, for fertilization. That does not mean the male might not continue to try. Good luck.