My Macaw just laid an egg!!?

well, if she hasn't been with a male and/or you don't know if she's mated, then the egg isn't fertilized. I had cockatiels that laid eggs all the time, they're just single cells and won't develop. Best thing to do is throw it away or it will just rot in your cage.

If you think your Macaw has mated, then hold the egg up to a light, see anything dark? Besides the yolk.

Yes, it is common for female birds to lay eggs without a male bird around. The danger with any egg-laying is that the female may not have enough calcium in her diet to form strong egg-shells. If the shell does not form properly, the egg may break inside her, which is very serious and she can die from it. If she is not getting enough calcium from food, her body will 'pull' calcium from her bones, which can leave her bones fragile. However, even if the shell is properly formed, birds can sometimes become "egg-bound" meaning the egg does not successfully exit the body -- same consequence, the bird dies.

So, yes you should take her to an avian vet to be checked. If you can see that she is not passing normal droppings in the morning, take her to an avian vet immediately -- or she may die. If she appears to be straining but no egg comes out within a few minutes, take her to an avian vet immediately. Depending on the problem, some birds die within a few hours, others may take a few days (it's a very painful death). If she is not acting normal, take her to an avian vet.

However --

It is also possible that she will lay another egg or two, with no problems, and then stop. Since she doesn't seem interested in the first egg, you can probably take away any other eggs.

You need to be very careful how you hold her and touch her, or you may be stimulating her to make eggs. Do NOT cuddle her, do NOT stroke her whole body, do NOT touch her tail and belly, do NOT touch her back, do NOT pet under her wings.

Don't give her a box or bag to play in, she may think it's a nest. Don't let her hide under or inside of furniture/cupboards, for the same reason.

red & blue typo* sorry, you don't have a red and blue macaw. There is no such thing. You may have a greenwing which is all red with green and blue on the feathers. OR a scarlet which looks identical to the greenwing except it is smaller and has yellow on it's wings. I'm sorry, but before you even consider allow eggs to hatch you need to study breeding first. Your little hen could be in serious danger laying 4 eggs in one month. I seriously hope that you haven't been taking her eggs?? At any rate, the only way that an egg could be fertile is if it were fertilized by a male. Even if so, that would mean that they would be hybrids. Not the greatest thing in the world since these macaws are already on the endangered list. We have to preserve the bloodline not add to it's demise. I hope you have increased her calcium and viatims. I'd hate to hear that your hen died from this. Also, rearing macaws isn't the easiest of tasks. You need to learn to handfeed and properly rear them.

Get rid of it. My Grey lays 1 egg a year. Keep an eye on her, she may or may not lay more. Its hard on the poor birds, so make sure she is getting plenty of protein and calcium. My Grey doesn't feel feel a couple days before and after the egg, so be patient and understanding, if she seems a little off. Unless you really suspect a problem,. don't bother taking her to a vet. This will pass, no pun intended. :-)

Hi,

Get rid of it, if there were no males (or, well, c0cks), it will be infertile, meaning it won't hatch and there is no baby inside. You might be able to expect more eggs though, but just through them away, there not any good.

You don't need to call the veterinary or anything. Almsot all female birds do this, and it is completely normal, all she did is lay an egg. Nothing's wrong, that just means she's actually very happy and healthy :)

You should get rid of the egg before the bird develops an emotional attachment to it. As it continues laying eggs and you keep taking them away, the bird won't feel any remorse to the fact because it's what always happens.

My lorikeet has laid an egg recently, with no males around. She is just clucky and I'd say very happy. She is in great health and I have no reason to believe that this is not completely normal. A sick bird would not lay an egg.

Actually glad my bird did this, because I always thought it was a he until now. :-(

The egg probably isn't fertile so you can take it. Call ER vet if you have questions.

if there was no male to fertilize the egg then nothing will come out of the egg anyway you ahould get her checked out by a vet and i have heard that if you stroke birds in special places they are stimulated to lay eggs idk if its true though but if there was no male no baby

i would eat it, put in a casserole and give it to dick cheney, you could call him at 406-490-1903