Why Do Birds Double Clutch?

Female birds double clutch as a response to the removal of either their eggs or their recently hatched chicks. This practice is fairly common among waterfowl and parrot breeders. Wild birds double clutch to ensure the survival of their species, particularly after predators have eaten eggs or newly hatched chicks. Double clutching is stressful to the hen because the process puts a strain on her system and owners of female birds in captivity should not force them to lay a second clutch of eggs, one year after the other.

  1. Pet Birds

    • Bird enthusiasts, particularly parrot fanciers, often remove the eggs or newly hatched birds from their breeding birds to force the parents to double clutch. In this way, these bird breeders ensure a larger number of chicks per breeding season. The breeder will typically rear the chicks that he removes. This frees the hen to incubate and rear her second clutch. Hand fed chicks grow up around people and become exceptionally tame. These chicks become wonderful pets, but need a dedicated feeding regime until they are weaned. Owners normally have to feed hand reared chicks every three hours. In these cases, where the bird enthusiast removes eggs or chicks, the hen double clutches out of necessity because she is not aware of the fate of the eggs or chicks.

    Wild Bird Species

    • Wild bird species, such as the bobwhite quail, double clutch after predators or bad weather have caused the death of their chicks. Only between 32 percent and 44 percent of bobwhite nests are successful and the hens will continue to lay until they are successful or until the breeding season has passed. Double clutching is common among the majority of avian species because it ensures the survival of each type of bird.

    Chronic Egg Layers

    • Eager first-time hens sometimes continue to lay eggs without stopping. This normally occurs among the various parrot species and is a common problem in budgies, lovebirds and cockatiels, but is known in African greys, cockatoos and macaws as well. The availability of food, day length and the behavior of the bird̵7;s mate, among other factors, stimulate the process of laying eggs. Bird breeders must remove the conditions that stimulate breeding behaviour to prevent chronic layers from double clutching. Such conditions include confined and dark spaces, such as nest boxes.

    Saving Species

    • Endangered bird species can be saved from extinction by captive breeding. Forced double clutching is necessary in these species, such as the Mauritius kestrel, whose population dropped to between four and six birds. An intensive breeding and re-introduction program, which began in 1973, has increased the number of birds to an estimated 650 kestrels. In 1998, this kestrel species was no longer endangered.