Best Way To Remove Eggs

[Nozempje]

In the last 2 months my single Tiel has laid 2 clutches of 5 eggs each. Eggs are boiled and she's been on them for approximately 2 months. Last 3 days I have taken her off the eggs in the morning and removed them from her cage which seemingly hasn't caused her any stress judging by her daytime behavior. However, around 8-8:30 pm/sunset she starts looking for them. She starts pecking, scratching, rearranging the floor of the cage which causes me to give eggs back to her bc besides nighttime brooding she seems to be much less hormonal and I worry if I keep her eggs from her she might become more hormonal and maybe start laying more eggs. I would like to prevent that: 10 eggs in 2 months is more than enough for her little body to endure.
Would it be ok if I continue taking her eggs and giving them back at night? I wouldn't if she shows disinterest. Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[expressmailtome]

Bump.

 

[WillowQ]

Leave them in with her or give her dummy eggs. I think I wouldn’t take them out during the day. Let her sit and get that drive fulfilled.

 

[Zara]

Leave them in with her or give her dummy eggs. I think I wouldn’t take them out during the day.

I agree. Either leave them or take them.
You can't be putting them in at night and taking them during the day.

Back to back clutches is a problem.

Given that you have been doing this odd routine, I would cut the cord now and knock it out of her.
To do that, follow all of these steps;

Remove the eggs.
Rearrange the cage, move toys, more the perches, move the food and water bowls. Really mix it up, the more mixed up the better.
Make sure there are no nooks or cozy spots.
Move the cage, rotate it, move it a couple of metres away, or to the opposite side of the room, just move it somehow to make it different.
Give her 12 hours undisturbed sleep.
During her "day" hours, be sure the light is nice and bright, not dim. If you live in a cloudy or grey place, place an LED lamp nearby for brightness.
If your bird does not eat pellets, give her a supplement for calcium. If she eats pellets that don't contain vitamin D3, give her a supplement for that too.
Offer more foraging activites. Keep her mind entertained by working for food/treats, playing with you, singing, dancing, anything she enjoys that is not related to nesy behaviour (so no snuggles, or under blanket time, no cavity seeking, no exploring nooks in the house).

 

[Nozempje]

Leave them in with her or give her dummy eggs. I think I wouldn’t take them out during the day. Let her sit and get that drive fulfilled.

Thank you very much for your reply. It's great to know I have this forum as a resource. I think I will do as you suggest: let her get her broodiness out of her system.

 

[Nozempje]

I agree. Either leave them or take them.
You can't be putting them in at night and taking them during the day.

Back to back clutches is a problem.

Given that you have been doing this odd routine, I would cut the cord now and knock it out of her.
To do that, follow all of these steps;

Remove the eggs.
Rearrange the cage, move toys, more the perches, move the food and water bowls. Really mix it up, the more mixed up the better.
Make sure there are no nooks or cozy spots.
Move the cage, rotate it, move it a couple of metres away, or to the opposite side of the room, just move it somehow to make it different.
Give her 12 hours undisturbed sleep.
During her "day" hours, be sure the light is nice and bright, not dim. If you live in a cloudy or grey place, place an LED lamp nearby for brightness.
If your bird does not eat pellets, give her a supplement for calcium. If she eats pellets that don't contain vitamin D3, give her a supplement for that too.
Offer more foraging activites. Keep her mind entertained by working for food/treats, playing with you, singing, dancing, anything she enjoys that is not related to nesy behaviour (so no snuggles, or under blanket time, no cavity seeking, no exploring nooks in the house).

h

Hi Zara,
Thank you very much for helping me do the best thing for Freckles.
I have done pretty much everything you suggested (other than cutting the cord) however it didn't change her behavior. She laid her 2nd clutch while still brooding her first. See my previous Post "Oops She's A Girl". She refuses to eat pellets but there are some mixed in with her seed. I cook for her instead using recipes from The Healthy Bird Cookbook by Robin Deutsch. She gets food containing all kinds of whole grains, legumes and veggies. I bake birdie corn bread, whole wheat bread/crackers, muffins and more. I also sprout sunflower, broccoli and mixed salad greens seeds. I have given her more greens and veggies.
She has a calcium block and a cuttlebone which she uses often judging by the beak marks. To supplement her calcium intake I recently started grating part of her calcium block into powder which I sprinkle over her food. I also add vitamins to her water.
Since I have pretty much done everything you recommend I will start over and do it again which hopefully will change her behavior this time around. With autumn around the corner I have high hopes this will also help her to turn things around. Also, during the day she pretty much goes wherever I go/am. We "talk", play with the dog, she "helps" me do my daily tasks, etc.
I do worry about her getting more hormonal and start laying again if I remove the eggs permanently so do you think it would be ok if I leave her eggs with her after I make the suggested changes in hopes that she will "naturally" leave them? With autumn around the corner I have high hopes that she will.
Thank you again for everything and I will post in the future with updates.

 

[Zara]

She has a calcium block and a cuttlebone which she uses often judging by the beak marks. To supplement her calcium intake I recently started grating part of her calcium block into powder which I sprinkle over her food. I also add vitamins to her water.

Those blocks and bones don't offer much calcium for our birds, they are more of a grooming tool or toy over nutrition.
Does your vitamin supplement have vitamin D3? If so, by increasing the calcium rich veggies, you can help her diet instead of the blocks/bones
Offer spinach in moderation, personally I skip it when my girls are laying/about to lay as too much can impede calcium absorbtion.

Let her sit on the eggs this time, then do all the steps again. If she lays again within the next 2 or 3 months, go and seek help from your vet. You may need to look at an implant or something like that.
Jot down the dates of eggs laid and keep them for reference. Having a diary just for your bird could be helpful to remember when the eggs were laid, when they were removed, any notable behaviour etc.

 

[Nozempje]

She gets mixed raw greens every day which includes spinach. I must say, I wish she would eat more greens and veggies in general but she does nibble on them several times a day every day so I imagine she gets enough. Her vitamin formula does include D3. I do tend to "fuss/worry" over her especially now even though she acts fine. None of her eating/foraging/preening/playing behavior has changed that much other than the time spend brooding her own eggs; 2 from 1st clutch and 5 from 2nd clutch. I boiled them the minute she laid them and they are in great shape: clean and unblemished. However, they probably won't last "forever" so I did order some dummie eggs yesterday just to have them on hand.
I thank again for your advice. Very helpful and appreciated.