African Grey Female

Question
Hi!  I have a 14 year old female African Grey (up until today I thought she was a "he") She just laid an egg!  To my shock, my boy is a girl!  Just wondering how many eggs will she lay and when should I remove them from her?  Also, why is she laying eggs now after all these years?  Thank you,  Jennifer from Garfield Heights, Ohio

Answer
Hi Jennifer,

It is hard to say what could have triggered her to start laying eggs after all these years. (Try to think of any enviromental changes that have taken place for her recently). The long daylight hours of spring and summer definitely encourage birds to become more nesty, so that could explain why she is laying egg(s) this time of year.

It is also impossible to tell you how many eggs she will lay. Some birds lay one egg, and never lay again. Others will lay a clutch full (for greys- usually 3 to 4 eggs) and will tend to them as if they were fertile. If your bird is tending to the eggs and trying to care for them, leave them with her until she looses interest. By removing the eggs, she might be encouraged to lay more. (In the wild, if their eggs were eaten or destroyed... parent birds often re-lay a new clutch, since there is only a short window for ideal breeding conditions).

Here is a wonderful article with tips for discouraging breeding behavior if your grey continues to lay more eggs:

http://www.forthebirdsdvm.com/breedingbehavior.htm

I hope this helps.

-Maggie