female laying eggs with no mate

kimmyC · New Member Joined: Mar 02, 2010 Posts: 3

My mother has a female kakariki she is almost 2 years old, she laid an egg a while back, but last night she had laid an egg in her feed dish and is sitting on it. She was quite aggressive defending the egg.
Is this usual behaviour? what would be the best course of action, as my mum doesn't want to breed her bird? Your advice would be most appreciated

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4508

Since there is no male bird the eggs will be infetile.
We have never exerianced this phenomia of single females laying eggs like this..it seems to be more when people keep them as house birds/ pets.

I THINK it may have something to do with having a close relatioship emotionally with the pet owner, which stimuates some hormones to create a 'family' ??????

just a therory, which to me sounds more plausable than most of the other reasons I have heard put forward.

She may or may not lay a batch...what ever leave her to it, removing the egg(s) she will most proberly lay another.
leave her and eventrually she will realise they are not going to hatch and abandon the idea, and hopefully abandon laying more.

Sry about the delay in answering..I must have missed this the other day.

Cheers
Steps