Lovebirds' Egg-Laying Process: A Personal Experience

This is a common issue in lovebirds. Survival is difficult, so the probability of hatching is less in most cases.

Your bird might be younger than one year of age, might not be mated well, or may be infertile. Please throw those eggs away. The hatching period is 21-25 days.

My lovebird has lost a few feathers from the belly region as well. This can happen due to the strain of keeping and laying eggs. The feathers will grow back with time. You can include vitamin supplements to your lovebird's diet and crushed eggshells (calcium source). Please don't worry.

I think it must not be the breeding season for them now. How long has the egg-laying not happening?

No, the paired lovebirds won't have any problem while mating.

The bird might be jealous. Small fights tend to happen between birds. They will be okay.

Yes, Mumu was her partner (the pictures are shown)... Lulu is not with us anymore. Mumu has a new partner named Juju.

Eggs will move if the birds are accidentally tossing them with their feet. If they are infertile they won't hatch after 25 days of laying.

Survival is difficult and newborns are really weak. Only some chicks (out of many) survive and reach adulthood.

A lovebird chick begins to form 10 days after an egg is laid. If you put the eggs under flashlight then and they appear plain or there are spots in them, then they are infertile.

There can be many reasons:

1. You might be having two males.

2. The birds (though of opposite gender) must be younger than a year's age.

3. They must not be mating properly.

4. They might not be mates.

5. The nutrition could be poor.

No, you shouldn't remove the male lovebird after the eggs are laid. The male lovebird will feed the female, and his presence is necessary. However, if the female is overprotective of her eggs and is trying to hurt the male, then it's better to separate them.

Please place the bird in a vessel of lukewarm water. Does she have a mate? A bulge in the abdomen is a sign of an egg.

Yes, it's okay, give her time. She may lay more eggs. If not, it's okay.

First place the egg back in the nest box and see if the mother lovebird accepts it or not.

Fertility isn't guaranteed in each case in lovebirds. Maybe, they will have chicks later on.

To prevent hatching, the couple must be separated, but I'm against that. What you can do is, remove the eggs from the nest just after the female lovebird lays it. That way, they won't be warmed up by her and chicks won't form.

The mother lovebird secretes a clear fluid during the first days. Later on, she feeds the chick what she eats. So, do make sure she is eating healthy foods like seeds, apple, banana, corn, and spinach leaves. Crushed egg shells do help in building calcium levels.

Do you mean to say that the female lovebird is not sitting on the egg? Maybe it's infertile, that's why she isn't.

It would be bad if your lovebird is too attached to the eggs. Do you find her sitting on them just after they are laid?

No, the male and female lovebirds shouldn't be separated. The male lovebird will feed the female, and inturn the female feeds the newborn chick.

You can hand-feed the chick once it is three weeks old. It is easier to handle them then. The hen will eat whatever you provide her with. Give her healthy foods like corn, banana, apple, spinach leaves, and crushed eggshells (sprinkle the bits on their food).

Yes, please don't touch the eggs.

If you touch a female lovebird's eggs, she will think they are contaminated and won't sit on them.

You can use a spoon and place the eggs in the nest box.

There is no way to increase the hatching rate. The natural process works on its on way.

The hatched eggs will have chicks in them.

It's really difficult to distinguish between them. However, these signs may tell them apart:

1. The most obvious sign is that the female lays eggs. If you have two females, then you will have two clutches of eggs. If there are no eggs, it means both are males.

2. Female lovebirds are a little heavier than males. They perch with a wider stance.

3. Female display nesting behavior--they love shredding paper, leaves and whatever they think might make a nest. So, the next time you let your lovebirds out, give them a sheet of paper each. See who tears it in shreds and places it in their back first.

Do remember that there can be exceptions.

Survival is difficult in nature, especially in smaller birds and animals. I have faced the same.

Your female lovebird might not be old enough to breed yet.

I understand your feelings. You can replace the freshly hatched eggs with dummy eggs. Ruby might sit on the fake eggs or might not, but once the eggs are laid, remove them immediately. Eggs start forming into chicks at least 10 days posterior incubation.

No, you can't touch their eggs with your fingers, but you can definitely look at them.

Place a bowl of water near her, if she jumps in, you will know she is okay with it. If not, you have to hold her and place her in water.

You can lift the egg(s) with a spoon and view them under light. If red veins are visible (posterior 10 days of laying), it means a chick is growing inside. If it's infertile, the egg will appear empty.

It's common in lovebirds to lay infertile eggs. There's nothing to worry about.

Egg laying may get delayed if the lovebird is tired or feeling weak. Please give her crushed egg shells (which will help her calcium levels rise). You can also place her in a bowl of warm water. This will relax her muscles, and she may lay the egg.

It can mean that your lovebird needs more nutrition. I would suggest getting her a mate (in case she is lonely and unhappy).

She might be upset about the cracked egg. It doesn't matter how many eggs she lays at a time. They can be one, two or more. Give her time. If she doesn't sit on it, it means she knows it's infertile. My female lovebird used to do the same. If 21-25 days pass and the egg doesn't hatch or she doesn't sit on it, please throw it.

The mother lovebird will lay more eggs every alternate day. She will sit on them and provide them warmth.

That totally depends on the parent lovebirds. Once they feel the babies are old enough, they themselves will kick them out of the nest box.

Lovebirds mate if they feel comfortable with each other. We can't do anything other than wait.

A male lovebird tends to regurgitate (bring up food in his mouth) to feed the female. Is this happening? How long has it been since the eggs were laid? If they don't hatch after 25 days, it means they are infertile, but we can't say both of them are females because of that. Females are slightly heavier than males, they sit with their feet perched wide apart. If the female is pregnant, you will see a bulge in the abdomen area. Please check for these signs.

No, you shouldn't be. She will lay them every alternate day.

No, you can see their eggs, there's no problem in that. You shouldn't touch them, though.

Yes, you should remove the two eggs that have not hatched.

Are the pairs of lovebirds mates? If so, give them time to mate. Once that's done, they will lay eggs a week later. If the pairs aren't mates, it will take some months for them to get bonded.

Yes, that's what will happen.

If she has laid an egg seven days later, it means she and the male lovebird have mated again.

A lovebird lays eggs with or without a mate. With a mate, she can lay fertile eggs.

Please get your bird a new mate. A male lovebird is needed as he feeds the female lovebird, supports her and later feeds the chicks as well.

She has recently laid eggs, which is a tiring process. Please increase her diet and include crushed chicken egg shells (to help build her calcium levels). Give her corn and spinach leaves. If possible add a little bit of egg white (only once a week). You will see her gaining strength.

A 2-3 weeks stage is a good time to separate the babies from their parent lovebirds. They are easier to hold and feed then.

The loner is being threatened because the other birds have become mates. Please buy a female lovebird for him and put them in a separate cage (after observing their behavior - they shouldn't be fighting).

Lovebird eggs can be of different sizes. I have experienced that with my lovebird's layings as well.

This is because she knows the eggs are infertile (my lovebird has done the same thing countless times). You can remove the eggs and discard them. If there were a chick in any one of them, they would have hatched within 25 days.

It's really hard to distinguish between them, but a female lovebird is perched with wide legs and lays eggs. Females shred paper into strips and put them in their backs.

No, she won't be. She'll take short breaks to eat and drink water.

It means that the bird might lay only one egg in that clutch. It happens at times.

Yes, it's possible if one of the lovebirds has a rare gene in them.

The mother lovebird, commonly known as a hen (in all bird species), sits on the eggs for incubation.

The eggs might be infertile (and the lovebirds know about it, mine did the same thing) or "contaminated" according to the lovebird.

A lovebird of six months of age is mature enough to find a mate of his/her own. There's nothing to worry about.

No, only the females incubate the egg.

Please remove the eggs that have not hatched.

Yes, you can do that. No worries.

Your lovebird must know that these eggs don't contain chicks. That is why she breaks them herself.

Please give her multivitamins. It's fine if she lays only one egg (mine did it too). Please remove it once no chicks hatch after 25 days of laying because the eggs turn bad then. She won't be sad. Please remove it for your birds' safety. If you think she might be aggressive/sad with the egg removal, please buy a dummy egg and place it near her.

Those eggs are infertile. I'm afraid they won't hatch. Please discard those 6 eggs.

It either means she knows it's infertile or she doesn't want to sit on it. You can incubate it by placing it in an incubator (you can buy it in a local pet store).

Yes, it's best to take them out. To be sure they are infertile, wait for 21-25 days after they have been laid.

Yes, the color of the chicks will be most likely the same as the parents, unless they have recessive genes.

Not Cerelac for humans, but you can feed them a special formula. It will be available in a local pet store.

I've been letting him out since he was a tiny bird. That's why he's so comfortable. If it's a new bird, you can let the bird out and maintain distance. Let the bird trust you and get used to the house. This takes an ample amount of time.

Your lovebird has laid a clutch of 4 eggs. If there would have been a 5th egg, it would have been laid on another alternate day. She may lay eggs again after she is done incubating this clutch for 21-25 days.

That is after the bird and her partner mate.

Please make sure the chicks are being fed by the parent lovebird.

A lovebird is unable to lay eggs due to many reasons. The most common are:

1. Either she is not a year old, or she is older than five years of age

2. Malnutrition, infertility, and loose perches (the male can't balance himself) may be possible

3. Poor diet is another cause. Feed your lovebirds fruits like apple, banana, grapes; give them corn, spinach leaves, and incorporate crushed eggshells into their seed bowl.

Is your lovebird having difficulty in breathing? Does her tail bob? If yes, please place her in a shallow vessel of lukewarm water. If not, it's alright. I had a female lovebird who had a bulged abdomen even though she wasn't laying eggs.

My lovebird used to do the same thing. Please wait for 4-5 days. If there are no hatchings, please discard the eggs.

A lovebird lays one egg per day.

You can shift them with a spoon.

Yes, a female lovebird can lay from four to ten eggs in a clutch.

How did your lovebird break their wing? Please apply turmeric powder and coconut oil on the wounds. It's okay to put the nest on the base of the cage.

It is difficult to distinguish them without a DNA test, but there are subtle signs:

1. Females are slightly heavier than males and are perched with legs wide apart.

2. Females lay eggs and display nesting behavior (cutting paper into strips and putting them in their backs, there can be exceptions).

3. Females don't regurgitate food like males.

Notice the closeness between them. Do you find the male close to one of the females? Does he try to feed any one of them? If that's the case, he may develop a bond with one of them. Please buy another male lovebird so that the other female (if one pair is formed) doesn't feel lonely.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Did she have difficulty in laying eggs?

They may/may not be fertilized.

Keep the eggs in both nests and see which bird sits on them. Keep them there then.

Please get her a new mate.

The parents watch over the babies until they feel they can survive on their own. That depends in different cases. A lovebird gets fledged (around a month and a half's age).

She might deliver it every alternate day.

That is okay if the birds are fine with it.

If your birds are comfortable with the pot and the female is laying eggs in it, then it's fine. If they're not comfortable, please keep a nest box for them.

Please keep looking for the male's return. Please take 1 or 2 chicks and try to feed them yourself. Make sure the female lovebird is getting proper food. Keep her well fed and make sure fresh water is available.

The mother feeds the chick for the first two or three weeks, then the young one is taught how to eat on its own. Please make sure the mother lovebird is feeding the chick. If she's not, please feed the chick lovebird formula feed (available in a local pet store) with a small syringe.

Please don't touch it with your hand. Use a spoon.

I think your lovebird knows they are infertile eggs and they won't hatch. Did you touch the eggs by any chance? Birds don't like it if you do so and might think they are spoilt.

The incubation period is 21-25 days.

Yes, they do. I mentioned infertility in lovebirds at the end of my article.

No, it won't be healthy to keep food inside the nest box (it will get spoilt quickly and it is not good for the birds). Is the male feeding the female lovebird? Please keep a close watch on them.

Please shift the eggs in a nest box. The babies might swallow the seed hulls accidentally. The mother lovebird will get inside the box to incubate them.

It means your female lovebird is displaying a nesting behavior and might lay eggs.

The female lovebird will lay a second clutch after she has incubated the first clutch. If there are hatchlings, she will take care of them. If not, you need to discard the eggs posterior 25 days of their laying.

Is the female lovebird incubating them well? Keep them under a lamp and see if they hatch. If they don't hatch, it means they weren't properly incubated. It happened to one of my lovebird's eggs too.

No, they will hatch on different days. Keep a count of 21-25 days after each egg is laid.

Your bird might be playing with the materials. Do you find him/her digging into it? If that's the case, then this is just playing around. So, the materials come out of the cage. If not, please replace the wood shavings and use hay instead.

Your lovebird might not be female, or might not be a year old.

I think your female lovebird doesn't like change. Shift them to the old cage and see if she sits on the eggs.

Yes, you can shift them.

She is not eating because she is depressed. Please get her mate back immediately and place him in another cage next to the female's cage.

Yes, it's okay. Egg-laying is different in each case.

Just touch her and see if she moves. You can hold her and feel her breathing (the chest area moves). If she's dead, you need to remove her from thr box. I'm sorry.

It is not okay, it may result in fights between the two females. I would suggest you to buy another male lovebird.

Does she lay them with or without a mate? If she's alone, please get her a male lovebird. If she's mated and doing so after that, then please discard the infertile eggs (21-25 days after laying) and replace them with dummy eggs.

I'm sorry, but I don't know about Java finches. If there are eleven eggs, your birds might be females. You have to wait and see if any of the eggs hatch. If they don't, the two are female.

Please give her time. She might not be ready or they might be not be mates yet.

Yes, you can if your lovebirds lay them, but you shouldn't touch them.

Please wash the egg under warm water after placing it on a spoon. Let it dry and put it back in the nest box.

If the incubation is done properly, the hatching will take place 21-25 days posterior egg laying.

No, you should not even touch the egg. Let the egg crack on its own. If it doesn't hatch within 21-25 days after the bird has laid it, you can discard it.

Has the bird behaved this way before? Is the abdomen area bulged? If it's so we can say the bird is a female and will lay eggs. If that is the case, please keep the bird in lukewarm water for some minutes. It will help her release the egg.

Yes, as long as the birds are okay with it.

Lovebirds are hard to distinguish. The most obvious difference between them is that the females will lay eggs. There are other differences:

1. Females are perched with wider legs; their built looks heavier than the males.

2. Male lovebirds feed the females (regurgitation) by bobbing their heads up and down.

3. Females love shredding paper into strips, and they'll put them in their backs (nesting behavior).

If the female lovebird is breaking her eggs, she knows they are infertile. If you wish to save them, please keep them separately and give warmth to them. They might or might not hatch.

The egg might be infertile.

Please remove the wood shreddings. The female lovebird might not be comfortable with it. Replace it with dry grass and see what happens.

Please get another male lovebird. The two females might fight over one male.

Please get a female lovebird for him as soon as possible. The eggs won't hatch since 25 days have passed. Please discard them.

Keep the chick in the nest box in between the remaining eggs for support and safety. The mother lovebird will take care of the feeding.

Yes, it's perfectly okay. Sometimes, my bird laid one egg, at times 12 in succession.

The lovebird's eggs will hatch as per the dates they were laid. If you know the date of laying, you can guess the date of hatching. Eggs hatch after 21-25 days.

Females, generally, over a year old lay eggs. They lay more when they have a mate.

It's okay. Sometimes, lovebirds know their eggs aren't fertile. At times, they may not sit on them just because they don't want to.

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Include a separate nest.

Please check your lovebird's bottom. Apply turmeric powder if there's a wound.

It all depends on nature. Sometimes clutches have some hatched eggs, sometimes none.

Please get a new lovebird for her immediately.

It could happen, yes.

No, it's not.

It takes around six months for the chick to attain full feather growth.

She will lay infertile eggs. If you get her a male and if they mate, chicks may hatch.

Unhatched eggs are common. This can be due to poor nutrition, improper mating, or the gender of the lovebirds could be male.

I think the lovebird has low calcium levels. Please feed her crushed egg shells. It will really help her. Also, make sure she eats fresh fruits (no avocado or many citrus fruits) without seeds, veggies like spinach leaves and celery and corn. This will be a good diet.

2-3 months is a short time. Let them get comfortable around each other. They will mate and eggs will be laid with time.

Your lovebird knows that they are infertile, that is why she isn't sitting on them. Did anyone by chance touch her eggs? If so, she may think they are spoilt.

It depends on when they were laid. An egg hatches after 21-25 days.

She is mature now and can lay eggs. She needs a mate. Please get a male lovebird for her.

This is all a part of nature. I understand how sad it makes you feel. I have been through the same thing. You can give your birds multivitamins and crushed egg shells (twice in a week), but this will only make them stronger. It won't guarantee chicks.

Show them the fruit daily. Show them you're really excited and make a big show of eating the fruit slices. Make sure the fruits don't have seeds in them while you give them. They are not aware of fruits. It may take time. Don't keep in their cage as they will feel scared and not eat their normal food. Just show it to them daily.

Where's the lovebird's mate? If they are okay to be shifted with the cockatiels and budgies, then it's okay. If they're not okay and you find them fighting, please avoid it.

If 1 month goes and the eggs don't hatch, please discard them.

No, it won't be suitable. Dubai doesn't have a pleasant climate and the birds will get affected. Please keep them indoors only.

You will see an embryo inside the egg when you candle the eggs.

How long has it been since the eggs have been laid? If it's a day or 2, please discard the eggs if you wish to. If it's not, then let the chicks grow if there are any inside.

Please get your female lovebird a mate. I think she feels lonely. If she is introduced to a mate, she might start going back to normal, sing or talk like before.

37° C is a high temperature, keep it at 30°C. If they hatch, you'll have to hand-feed the chicks.

If eggs don't hatch after 25 days of laying, please discard them.

Please buy a nest box for them. Have you found them mating? If not, give them some time.

The eggs might be infertile and she knows it. Maybe that's the reason she throws her eggs out. It's not compulsory to cover the cage but if it's done, the birds will not be disturbed with light/noise etc.

It depends on the bird.