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From: ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: INDOOR: Cockatiel laying eggs
Message-ID: <27D2B1D4.977@intercon.com>
Date: 4 Mar 91 20:45:08 GMT
References: <63028@bbn.BBN.COM> <1991Mar1.190956.6578@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu> <4452@lectroid.sw.stratus.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: InterCon Systems Corporation, Sterling, VA
Lines: 22

In article <4452@lectroid.sw.stratus.com> mm@lectroid.sw.stratus.com () writes:
>
>	This is bad advice.  Egg laying in cockatiels should be discouraged
>	if the bird is not in a breeding program.

This is especially true if you've ever seen a hen die because she was
egg bound.  Or seen a hen deplete her calcium supply so badly that the
eggs had no shells.  Egg laying has many risks.  Mike is quite right,
it should be discouraged if the bird is not with a male to fertilize
the eggs and help bring up young.  Raising clutches of birds regulates
the hen's biological clock and brings her breeding into controllable
levels.  Of course, this isn't an absolute and even hens in breeding
programs have to be monitored closely so that they don't overproduce.

p.s.  People are constantly giving us their egg laying hens because they
are afraid of the long term problems associated with infertile egg laying.
We trade them for male babies and try to regulate the hen's breeding
behavior.  It is usually successful.

Mikki Barry
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