The 3 main triggers to make a bird (any bird) go into a laying cycle is 1. A high protein diet, 2. Increased daylight hours, 3. Stroking, smooching and rubbing the head of birds (and down their backs) this is what mating pairs do to each other for arousal: Often a nice head rub from a human is all it takes to turn them on. So what to do? Seed mixes are usually a major contributor to this problem. Pet birds whose diet is more than 25% seed mix are getting way too much protein and get stuck in a laying cycle. To stop the cycle remove every single sunflower seed in the seed mix. Sunflower seeds are high protein and high fat which is double trouble (sunflower seeds are the large oblong grey with cream coloured stripes). Feed her only 1/2 a teaspoon of seed mix per day as a maximum. The other 75% of her diet should be crumble (i.e. Vetafarm lovebird pellets and/or Dr Mac's organic pellets) 2-3 teaspoons per day and 'fresh greens'. 'Fresh greens' include: Green peas, kale, spinach, corn, broccoli and fresh green grass seed tops like shivery grass and wheat grass. Cuttlefish bone, shell-grit, and an iodine bell should always be available in the cage at all times. They provide additional calcium to the bird's 'green' food. Fruit: Pears, apples, kiwi fruit are good but avoid giving citrus (lemons, oranges etc..) Also, whilst cashew nuts are a good occasional treat, they too are high in protein and fat so don't feed your lovebird nuts whilst you are trying to curb egglaying. Give her 12 hours of darkness to sleep in per day: If the cage is in your lounge room merely covering it at night while you are up with the light on will not give the bird enough real dark-time to switch off the cycle. So you may have to move the cage at 6 or 7 pm into an unlit room with curtains drawn to simulate night if it is summer and the sun is still up. Excessively-covering the cage to replicate darkness can overheat them if you live in a hot-summer climate - a darkened room is best. If she has been laying prolifically for a couple of months she may be calcium depleted so it is wise to have her assessed by a specialist avian vet: Do not give calcium without professional diagnosis because excessive calcium too can cause harm to your lovebird. Calcium is stored by birds in their bones, the ovum is developed in their ovary and when the ovum is mature it moves from the ovum to the uterus where the shell is laid over the egg. The shell mostly is made up of the calcium taken from the bird's bones. Depleted calcium leads to brittle, weak bones and other health problems. Hope this advice helps you.
