Parrotlet won't stop laying eggs?!

[Life is Good!]

Our perky little parrotlet is between 10 and 12yrs old now.

For the past two summers, she'd lay 2 eggs in June and be done.

Well, this year, she's laying an egg every 3-4days ; she's pulled all her chest feathers; she's clearly broody.....but 10 eggs thus far this summer?! What's up with that?!

Anyone else have this phenomenon?

Is there a way to 'cure' broodiness in parrotlets? She's our sole bird amongst our menagerie. And I'm beginning to be concerned for her health.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm not sure if a small wire bottom cage suspended in her main cage will work for a parrotlet so she can't plunk her breast and bottom against something solid but it is worth a try. A friend of mine has a parrotlet that has been laying pretty regularly and I forwarded this link to her.
In the interim, I would offer her some more calcium in a separate container. Building so many egg shells for such a small bird surely has depleted her bloodstream and bone stores of calcium.
We tried to keep pairs of macaws from nesting by removing all the nest boxes (30 gallon galvanized barrels) but it never stopped the very young birds. They would just hollow out a hole in the dirt and lay an egg. Then we'd have to haul out a nest and provide a pile of nesting material for the pair to build with.
Older birds would wait till they had a proper nest.

 

[TwoCrows]

You need these....

https://www.ebay.com/i/331847241329...7%26rvr_ts%3Da4fe661f1640ab64769182ffffeec587

 

[TwoCrows]

I should have also added my 2 cents, for what its worth. Parrots can't take continuous laying like poultry. It can honestly kill them. Since parrots have a breeding season, using those dummy eggs should get her through this season, let her go broody on them, she should molt afterwards and be done for the year. Sometimes age does crazy things to their hormones.

Good luck with her!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

 

[clyderiver77]

Are you letting her sit out the clutch, or pulling each egg as she lays them?

 

[Life is Good!]

Thank you all for your responses. This is such a weird year for this little pet birdie!

Our parrotlet is now 12 (I looked it up). Since she was 9, every June, she'd lay one to three eggs, quit and be done. I attributed her egg cycle to the outdoor bird cycle - every mid-May and early-June, she's in her cage sitting in the garden with me as I plant and weed and get the garden established. (She has a 'travel' cage which she is in and follows me around the house - her 'flight cage' is in her owner's bedroom (oldest son away at school)).

She usually doesn't molt this season, typically molts begin about October for her.
Yes, she has cuttlebone, and I added some smaller pieces of oyster shell into her feed for extra calcium.

This season has been particularly weird - she's now on egg #12! Eggs 10 and 12 were the first to be solid enough to stay whole. The others were more of a thin-shell/membrane only type eggshell...and they were crushed when she laid them - she preferred to lay from the topmost perch in her cage, so they had quite a ways to travel to the bottom of the cage! These two survivor eggs were laid on the floor of her cage.
She is acting broody - she has the brightest green feathers I've ever seen on her - she's plucked part of her chest feathers from neck to vent - but she's guarding the eggs, not sitting on them. She's in her flight cage, and refuses to come out to her daytime cage...which is ok with me. I check on her periodically through the day, but she just does her 'I'm a pissed off broodie birdie - go away!' act, so I leave her be.

She's laying behind the eggs and 'guarding' them. I've left these two eggs with her, and she nudges them (but not towards her, just sort of rolls them around), she's eating and drinking as usual.

It's now been 3days with these two eggs...and I'm hoping she'll give up soon. But I believe she's in decent health despite the extra calcium lost...input and output seem fine.

I know she'll eventually give up. Any clue when?

 

[TwoCrows]

Each bird is so different, it's hard to say when she will quit. Just let her do her thing, keep her as least stressed as possible and hopefully this passes soon!

Parrotlets are so cute!

 

[Life is Good!]

Cute but very, very vicious as broody birdies!
So her new nickname is 'vv' (very vicious!)....
small beaks can still break skin - ask dh!

 

[Abriana]

Can I see a pic of her? Off topic but I love birds...