My finch birds keeps laying eggs and eating them. Why does this happen?
By johnice from San Jose, CA
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Egg eating might be caused by a calcium insufficiency in the bird's diet. Even if the diet is improved it can continue out of habit. (I am speaking from experience with other birds, not specifically finches)
If you are trying to encourage breeding, give her a nest box. If this is a lone female (they may still lay even if no male is present) she may eat her infertile eggs for nutrition. It taxes their little bodies to produce an egg. Even fertile eggs may be pushed out of the nest and consumed if the bird feels breeding conditions are not optimal.
Another cause may be boredom. Is her cage near a window so she can see outdoors? Does she have enough room to fly around in there? Are there other finches for her to socialize with? She isn't going to get sick from eating her eggs at least.
Hope this helps!
I give them enough calcium supliments regularly, and proper food, there is nest too, but it has laid the egg outside it, now it is trying to Peck and kill it, I don't understand why.
it happen to me too i give them birds seeds i see whenever the lay egg the eat it up i dont know why i wish they would not eat their eggnow i hate my pet zebra finch
exactly the same, i hate when they eat up there own eggs, I did checklisted all the reasons, but still...
No you should not hate your finches just feed the pair well give boiled egg don't just give white one just give the yellow pieces also
My finches lay eggs and eat them plenty of room to fly around nest boxes and plenty material for them also plenty calcium and food so why still eating them what can I do
Hi, it may be the nest isn't comfortable for her! If she doesn't have a male to build it then you can try to build it for her, I give mine plenty of hay and also white feathers (fluffy down ones you find in pillows) I also offer them shredded kitchen towel. They love the tissue paper and the hay but not as enthusiastic with the white feathers but all birds are different which is why I offer it to them. I give them different calcium supplement as well as fresh fruit and veg, dandelion leaves are rich in vitamins and easily found.
Hi- I bought my mother two finches in Oct. 2018. They had 5 eggs and 4 became little babies. We gave one away already and so now there are 5 birds (the beaks on two have not become completely orange yet). I put another nest in the cage thinking the others might want to sleep in there. She ended up laying eggs in both nest, but more in the smaller nest, so I moved some into that smaller one... which the male was keeping them warm for a bit.
It seemed like they were not keeping the eggs warm in the past week, and last night the mother finch seemed ill... She was on the bottom of the cage, all fluffed out and she could not fly. This morning I was happy to see she was flying ...AND she had laid another egg in the larger bird basket.
I read last night that she could be stressed from laying too many eggs (there are 11 now), so I took the smaller basket with the older a eggs out this morning (with 9 of the eggs). Then I looked in to the basket, and it looked like she was sitting on the other two eggs this morning, but she had egg on her face! She had cracked one of the eggs and was eating it (of course I'm not sure if it is the older egg or the new one).
She seemed really ill last night, so after reading this and another blog... I'm thinking she's stressed from all the egg laying. Maybe I will take the other nest out until we give away two of the other baby birds (they are over 2 months now and as I said before the color on their beaks have almost turned all orange... I read you should wait until the molt/moult for the first time or get their adult colors to give away).
Any suggestions? Thanks, H. Durham
Oh my God, I also have 2finches and they do the same thing. I have no idea why? Are they crazy????
Mine do this
They are unfortunately mother and son and I surmise they do this because they know the offspring will be deformed.
They have killed any babies that have survived.
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