Sometimes we have over enthusiastic hens that want to have chicks even when the timing is not right or they are not in the best condition or age to raise a clutch of chicks. 

While the male is very important in the role of raising chicks, most of the encouragement and drive for actually laying eggs comes from the female and this is why they will do so even without a male present. While most of the males job is wooing the hen and mating which can happen through out the year with no breeding intentions, she is the one  

that seeks out and prepares a nesting spot, and starts her laying cycle when she is comfortable with her chosen spot. 

What are some signs your hen is going to lay? What are some things that can naturally encourage breeding? And how can you discourage her from laying eggs?

Here are the most common behaviors you will see in a hen when she has started a laying cycle, and why:

• Change in cere color
  
• Moodiness
  
• Excess chewing
  
• Spending time in any dark spaces
  
• Eating extra amounts of calcium
  

Change in cere color- Her cere will change from a light blue/white to a light tan and then dark brown.

Moodiness- Increased hormones will make her especially territorial and aggressive, she will defend her chosen nesting spot and or cage with increased aggression.

Excess chewing- Hens naturally chew to hollow out their nesting spot, and then fling out the extra material to clean the inside. In our homes this could be chewing the paper at bottom of the cage, or flinging her seed/pellets from food dishes.

Spending time in any dark spaces- Any dark place can be taken as a nest. Kozi korners, snuggies, covered food dishes, dark cage corners etc. If they can fit in it, they will attempt to use it as a nest if they can not find anything better!

Eating extra amounts of calcium- In preparation for laying eggs most hens who rarely touched a mineral block or cuttlebone will devour a whole one in no time.

There are a number of things that will encourage your hen to lay eggs. Some of them are rather obvious, and some might be happening without you even noticing. Some of these include:

• Increased daylight hours
  
• High protein and high fat foods
  
• Nesting Spots
• A Stable environment
  
• Finishing a molt

Increased daylight hours- In the wild budgies breed when the rains come and increased daylight hours provide them with extra time to forage to feed their growing chicks.  The same things in our homes in the spring/summer months.

High protein and high fat foods-  In the wild an abundance of rich foods happen during the rainy seasons when breeding naturally takes place. Increased amounts of these foods in our homes will trigger breeding condition and their breeding instincts in the same way.

Nesting spots- Budgies are very opportunistic breeders. They will do their best to find a nesting spot and will pick ones you might not think likely. Watch out for anything small and dark they can get into! Be careful too about cage covers and the dark places they can create

A stable environment- Security is very important for breeding, when their surroundings are predictable and ideal it is the perfect time to breed. 

Finishing a molt- Right after they molt they are in peak physical shape and naturally come into breeding condition. Right after a molt get ready to start watching for breeding behavior.

You will basically need to try your best to give your hen the least desirable conditions possible for raising a family. Here are some of the most important things to do:

• Decrease daylight hours
  
• Limit certain foods
  
• Change up her environment
  
• Prevent male/female contact
  

Decrease daylight hours- Limit her daylight hours to 8 if possible, but definitely no more than 10 at most. If you do not have a room with no windows, try to make the room as dark as you can. Make sure you stick to a routine and keep up with it for a number of weeks after the breeding signs stop to prevent her from starting another cycle.

Limit certain foods- While you do not want to cut off nutritious food, you do want to limit ones that will encourage her to come into condition. Hard boiled eggs, quinoa, most beans and legumes etc or anything with a high fat or protein level should be avoided. Instead offer her healthy vegetables that have lower levels of these things but still nutritious.

Change up her environment- Stability and routine make for great breeding times. When you suspect your hen is getting ideas about laying,  rearranging her cage is a excellent thing to do. Try to make things look as different as possible. For example, put perches that were on the bottom of the cage on top, food dishes that were on the right on the left etc. Adding some new toys at this time is a great idea too. If at all possible move the cages placement in your home as well, even if it is just across the room or a few feet away.

Prevent male/female contact- If you have both males and females in your home limiting their contact with each other during peak breeding times will help to keep things from escalating to the egg laying point. Separating your sexes will also give you the peace of mind that if any eggs are laid, they are not fertile and they can easily be disposed immediately.

It is natural when we provide the ideal conditions in our homes for your pair to want to start another clutch right after or even sometimes before their present one is done., but if they have already had a clutch or 2 and are in need of a rest it is your job as the owner to stop them from having another clutch.

In the wild they would be forced to stop by the natural changes in the weather with decreased daylight. The rains stop and food supplies become scarce forcing them to stop breeding and migrate to where there is more food. No extra food means no babies. However in our homes they have a constant supply of good food all year round, and artificial lighting further provides ideal circumstances. 

It is our responsibility to prevent excessive breeding in our homes.


To Prevent Another Clutch- Removing the hen once the chicks are 3 weeks old and letting the male finish raising them is the best thing to do. Around the 3 week mark the male takes over most of the feeding and caring for the chicks, so if you do not want another clutch removing the hen is the best way to prevent it from happening. 

Putting her in a separate room will help the male focus on caring for the chicks, and as soon as the chicks are ready to be separated from him at 6-8 weeks you can put them back together without a nest box.