ZOMG!! An egg?!?!

[duckncover]

I'm so excited! One of my 4 hens laid an egg this morning. It was cracked but I boiled it and fed it to them. I -think- that's okay to do since you're supposed to do that to cockatiels so they get more protein. I also bought them crushed oyster shells today. They are all about 1 year old so I doubt it's their first but it sure is mine! I figured they might come around since I gave in and let them live in the house AND have been giving them chopped veggies, canned corn, and whatever cockatiel seeds my others birds won't pick at. I think it was the veggies that made them do it

2 Questions:

1.) Will they stop laying if I pick them up, leave them out of the cage to run around, or clean their cage? I don't think they really mind but will that slight disturbance stop them?
2.) Is egg laying contagious or will only one lay until the others decide it's time.

and a bonus:
What is the cheapest and most effective litter for their cages that ISN'T anything like hay (allergic)? I'm using pine shavings from the pet store but I found out it's cheaper and the farm store so....yeah.

 

[danielle82]

Yay! First egg Woo-Hoo! How long have you had them? You speak of "litter for their cage" are they house chickens?

 

[duckncover]

I had them outside for like 2 weeks but I realized that I have a parrot the same size as these hens and they more or less crap the same amount of times a day and heck he doesn't even stay in his cage most of the time-he basically lives in my room up on a giant perch. I just didn't think it was fair that I let him everywhere in the house and they aren't even aloud inside. I mean all the parrot is is a louder smart green chicken...and well I can't eat his eggs even if he/she did lay them (or at least I think I can't?? Can someone chime in on that one please?) When it boils down to it I'm a pet lover and I don't choose favorites. ALL of my pets are “loveable defective” so that's why I have -sigh- 4 “red crested grounds parrots” living in a quick fix cage in my bedroom. If the cops ask what they are that's what I'm telling them...

 

[danielle82]

LOL nice logic. I'm pretty sure you could eat that parrot egg. haha lemme know how that one scrambles up for you.

 

[Emzyyy]

 

[duckncover]

I'm serious though...I mean I paid $400 for the parrot and he's a very good pet. He talks and does tricks and loves attention but at the end of the day the only thing separating him from the chickens if the point that he thinks it's funny to poop on you. I won't get into how smart the really are but he's already 7 years old and he basically knows when to laugh by studying when and what we laugh at. He will purposely poop on you and then start laughing about it. The reason he laughs at it is because he knows that when he does that chain of events he gets everyone's attention. The main "trick" he does is when either the phone rings or the door get's knocked at he starts screaming hello and shouting out random names of people that I don't even know (he's a rescue). He chews on everything he can fit into his beak and if it isn't metal...he breaks it. At the end of the day he causes more trouble than the chickens but at the same time everyone still loves him. If a chicken poops on the floor at the same time that Paco the parrot does guess who has to go back to their cage? Hint: It's not the parrot. Guess who get's called disgusting and unsanitary? Answer: the poor little chicken. It makes no sense what so ever but if I ran that as a test 9 out of 10 ordinary "non chicken lover" people would do that exactly. The other 1 person just wouldn't like animals at all and wouldn't want them anywhere near them. I look at things differently so I'm just an oddball I guess.

Oh and another think to think about:

How much you wanna bet my neighbors would without a doubt complain about a rooster or even the hens clucking in the morning but not a peep out of them about the unbelievably loud parrot that screams for at least 20 minutes at sunrise and again at sunset for the last half a year. Yup I have it ALL figured out.

 

[Ariel301]

Hahaha you've got to love parrots and their sense of humor. Mine would sneak up behind my brother when he was sitting on the couch, jump on his head, and start laughing maniacally. We never figured out why he thought that was so funny.

You can buy 'diapers' that fit chickens and parrots, to minimize the poop clean-up. I don't let my chickens in the house, but I don't see why it would be an issue. They're no dirtier than a parrot. Lol I've been known to bring one of my goats in for tv time and cuddling. I'm surprised you don't get any complaints about parrot screaming. My neighbors complained about mine, my roommates complained about mine, my husband complained...had to sell him because he terrified my husband, when we got married and moved in together, 'Apollo' would attack my husband any time he came near the cage, and my husband wasn't willing to be patient while we trained him to behave. They're neat pets though.

 

[duckncover]

Still wondering....

1.) Will they stop laying if I pick them up, leave them out of the cage to run around, or clean their cage? I don't think they really mind but will that slight disturbance stop them?
2.) Is egg laying contagious or will only one lay until the others decide it's time?

 

[Uzuri]

Quote:
Let's put it this way... I hauled all 7 of mine into the garage due to the high winds last week... second day in the garage I got my first three-egg day. My usual had been 1 a day prior with the occasional 2. Then after moving them out my run was 2,3,2,3. Clearly, hauling them into the house, caging them, hauling them back, and tossing them out in the cold did little to throw them off

Cleaning and letting them out seems unlikely to be worse than that

 

[LeghornLisa]

Hello Duckncover, as I read your post I feel like we are twins...let me know how it goes when you bring the girls inside, my concern would be they would get overheated...keep me posted...I have 2 cats, how do I handle that??