I was out for a while today. When I came home I went to change the paper in the bottom of the cage, and I found an egg. Unfortunately, it was broken, so I couldn't leave it in the cage.

I think that, in addition to what I am already doing for hormone control, I may need to separate her from Piper, who regularly mates with her (to no avail, since he's a budgie).

This means setting up a separate cage. I'm not sure how Im going to work that out logistically. He mostly mates with her when they are outside of the cage. That would mean separate out of cage times. I'm not sure how I will manage that.

I'm a little stressed about it and concerned.

You won't have seperate them since their eggs aren't fertile. Here's what you can do: Let Piper and Emma mate (it's useless) let them have their "fun" and let Emma lay the clutch of eggs that she wants. Allow them to sit on those eggs for 21 days, then, you take them away. They should be on hormone control after the eggs are taken away. I think it would be best for you to put them on hormone control two weeks before 21 days so the hormone control can have the full effect by the time you take out the eggs.

After stopping my birds from mating and doing so many techniques possible in aviary conditions, they would not stop unless I did that. It's easy and simple and it won't stress you out.

So, you don't think I can interrupt the egg laying cycle?

Nah, they have been hormonal for quite some time already. Once she starts there's really no stopping. All you can do is watch for signs of egg binding and give her lots of calcium.

You can take her to a vet and get her a luprin shot but I don't really think it's a good idea unless she's a chronic egg layer.

Ah, I see. I'm sorry to hear that, although it will certainly be easier not to separate them.
Thank you for the information.
She's always been a big cuttle bone chewer.
She's just a little over a year old.
This afternoon she sat on my arm for a few minutes. Then, I heard a "splat," and there was the largest dropping I had ever seen from her on the floor. At least it wasn't on my shirt.
Piper is attentively feeding her. I think he thinks he finally succeeded.

Yeah, those poops are called egg poops. They are massive because they hold it in while they are nesting.

My Marshmallow thought her whole cage was a nest so she would refuse to poop in her cage. I had to take her out a couple of times a day to let her empty herself out. Sometimes I had to take her out of the nest box because she would not get off her eggs and I had to go to school. I couldn't let her hold it in for hours. It was already big from holding it in at the night.

Oh, how interesting. At least it's nice to know I don't have to worry about the poop. It was shortly after I let her out of the cage.

No matter how much hormone control I do it doesn't seem to slow Piper down.

Marshmallow loved to make her egg poops on a flat surface. I had to leave school and I couldn't wait for her to make it off a perch so with time I learned how to let her poop it more quickly. I know the whole process of how she will do it. It's quite interesting to watch.

Piper is very similar to my Georgie. Im telling you, this trick has a very high chance of working. Our main goal is to get Emma out of the mood because no matter how hormonal Piper is, he won't ever be able to lay an egg. Once Emma and Piper had a chance of egg sitting, Emma will give up and it will weaken Pipers hopes--especially since the eggs will be too big for him to properly sit on. The hormone control will do the rest of the work. Daylight savings is ending really soon so that's another help for the hormones.

Baruch has given you good advice. Once the egg laying starts it's usually difficult to stop it, and she's likely to lay fewer eggs if you just let her do it, then turn on the hormone control well before these eggs reach their due date. Give her an open box or basket for a nest to keep the eggs from breaking. Don't give her an enclosed box because that's too encouraging.

Budgies and cockatiels have different incubating habits. With cockatiels, males share the incubation duties and females get their own food. With budgies, females do all the incubating and the male feeds the hen. So your pair may not exactly be in synch, but it's OK because the eggs aren't fertile anyway.

You are probably right. What worries me about Piper is that he is constantly stimulating her. I've read you shouldn't stroke a female cockatiel on her back. Piper does this a few times a day, every day. I am hoping that, as he gets a little older, he may slow down.