Lovebird nesting -- next phase

Question
Hi Again, Chrys -- We took your advice.  Our peach-face lovebird layed 3 eggs.  She did build an elaborate nest and buried her toy in the bottom of the back corner.  -- We have a new question.  She now looks as though she has been pulling at the feathers on her belly.  Furthermore, the feathers look wet and not healthy.  Is this part of the process?  Also, we would like to know how often she will go through the nesting and egg-laying process.  We have had her a year.  This is our first experience.  

Thanks again for all the help.
--Terri Miller

Answer
Hi again, Terri.

It's common for a parrot to pluck her chest feathers.  She is creating what is called a "brood patch."  A brood patch exposes the female's skin thereby allowing more warmth to the eggs.  She may also be wetting these feathers and/or her body feathers in order to provide humidity to the eggs.  A female knows the temperature and humidity of her eggs and controls these 2 elements throughout the incubation process.  Warmth and humidity are required for proper embryo development.  The female also turns her eggs 1/2 way every 12 hours at least.  

Your female could continue to lay eggs throughout the breeding season, however, this depends on the individual bird.  These eggs will, of course, be infertile unless she mates with a male lovebird.  If she chooses to incubate these eggs for the full period, she'll be sitting on them for about 18 days (although she could abandon them sooner, since she'll know her eggs aren't fertile).  If she incubates the full 18 days then abandons them, she could lay again in about 2 weeks (depending on the individual bird) after she abandons them.  Some lay again and some don't and some wait longer than 2 weeks.  

If she continues to lay and lay, you may want to take her to an avian veterinarian for a hormone shot to keep her from laying over and over again.  Although laying eggs is quite normal, you should limit the number of clutches she lays per year to 2.  This is because laying eggs is hard on a female parrot and could affect her health if laying depletes her body of needed calcium and other vitamins/minerals.  Be sure she has a cuttlebone available to replace calcium stores if she needs it.  

You can help disuade her from laying by limiting her exposure to light sources to 10-12 hours per day maximum, and not allowing her access to any nest building material and/or a nestbox (or anything that resembles a nest).  You limit light sources because in spring time, days become longer (longer daylight hours), which is a trigger to a bird that breeding season has begun (other triggers are rising temperatures, increased food availability, etc.)!

Come back if you need to.  Thanks.

Chrys