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Male or Female?

Male or Female?

  • Male

    Votes: 2 100.0%
  • Female

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    2

Skrub04

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Lizzy
This is true, if you find an egg don't waste your money
 

Monica

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There are some "incomplete" pearl cockatiels. These birds can appear like normal birds with a few pearled feathers. Genetically speaking, they are visual pearls, but they don't look like it. Bananas is definitely a pied, and has some female markings, however that doesn't say much due to the fact that male pieds can retain certain female markings on their feathers. I'm not entirely sure Bananas is a pearl pied, but I think I see pearl markings at least on the wings, and I think those are pearl tail feathers, too.... the yellow ones.


If you went in to the vet for blood work, you could always ask them to get a little extra blood for a DNA test and they might only charge you a blood collection fee? I think the companies that do DNA sexing on birds charge vets the same price as they charge us, so the vets need to make some amount of money from doing the DNA sexing for you?
 

Bananerz

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Lol, very true; Im a bit worried if she does lay an egg because Ive never had a bird lay an egg before, and I cant for sure tell if she even has an egg.

I ordered one of the free kits, it probably wont get here til next week and Bananas has an appt on Friday, so Ill ask them if they take blood if they can do a test too. If not then Ill have the kit still.
 

Skrub04

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Lizzy
Ya I haven't even gotten my bird yet and I am worried about if it's a she and if so how do I avoid egg laying problems. Lol hopefully the vet can help!
 

Bananerz

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I hope!
Most Ive heard is just dont provide areas to nest and maybe dont pet their backs, and too much calcium might cause them to lay an egg.
 

Skrub04

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Lizzy
Ya but the horror stories of poor females and egg laying problems are everywhere. -_-"
 

Monica

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Cross-posting some of my information in regards to egg laying..... hope it helps. :)



This is generally what I recommend for egg-laying hens.

  1. Remove Eggs
    • Rearrange the cage
    • Move the cage to a new location
    • Use a cage grate
    • Get a new cage/Use a different cage
    • 12-14 hours of complete darkness (may require as much as 16 hrs for 2 weeks - or try providing the opposite, as little as 8 hrs of sleep)
    • Full Spectrum Lighting/Better Lighting
    • Lower the indoor temperature
    • Decrease calcium and protein within the diet (if she is on a high calcium & protein diet prior to laying eggs)
    • Remove anything that could be taken as a nest
    • Remove anything that could be used as nesting material
    • Don't allow her in any dark place or enclosed area
    • IMPORTANT: save the eggs in the fridge
    • If she lays more than 3-4 eggs, put them back in the cage
  2. Leave the Eggs
    • Leave the eggs alone in the cage
    • [Optional] Replace with fake eggs (prevent eggs from breaking)
    • Increase calcium
    • Let hen sit on eggs for 3-4 weeks or until she gets bored of them
    • Once done sitting, toss



Generally speaking, there are triggers to hens laying eggs, and if you can remove the triggers, you may be able to stop the egg laying. Triggers can include toys that she can lay in, a plastic base to a cage, nesting material (i.e. cage bedding), a diet high in protein and fat, too much or not enough light, quality of light, etc. All things that should be considered. Removing the triggers to egg laying should be considered *FIRST* before any drastic measures should be taken. You never know, it could be something simple!
 

Bananerz

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Thanks for the info! Her cage as a wired bottom and I dont keep any boxes/beds or nesting material in there.
What if the egg is fertile though? Ive only had her 4 days, she was previously caged with other cockatiels including males, whatre the chances of her laying a fertile eggand what should I do if it is?
 

Monica

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I've heard that hens can lay fertile eggs up to two weeks after mating with a male, so chances are of an egg being fertile? Hard to say for sure! I would think unlikely that if Bananas is a female, that she would lay an egg within a new environment, especially after having been there for 4 days. If she was going to lay an egg, in theory, she would have done it already. As in, she would have been laying eggs prior to leaving her previous home, or getting ready to lay an egg, before moving into your home.
 

sunnysmom

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I've heard that hens can lay fertile eggs up to two weeks after mating with a male, so chances are of an egg being fertile? Hard to say for sure! I would think unlikely that if Bananas is a female, that she would lay an egg within a new environment, especially after having been there for 4 days. If she was going to lay an egg, in theory, she would have done it already. As in, she would have been laying eggs prior to leaving her previous home, or getting ready to lay an egg, before moving into your home.
I was thinking the same thing- that it seemed unlikely that she would lay an egg in her new home so soon.
 
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