Encouraging Cockatiels to mate

[Les charlson]

Afternoon everyone. I have been thinking about this thread today and I may have something more to add. The problem from my pov is that there is some info that is never discussed. There are responsible breeders and then there is everyone else. Some breeders never discuss their failures. How they asphyxiated they babies by putting the crop needle into the airways instead of the crop. How they have babies that are deformed and how they dispose of them. How their hens keep laying eggs regardless of whether the breeder wants them to or not. What it takes to treat their egg bound hens and how many they lose. The grisly facts on a hen pecking her chicks to the point you may need a vet or worse you need to put it out of its misery yourself. The special diet pre mating and during breeding season you need to offer. Oh and what they do with excess/last years or unpopular coloured babies if the market is flooded. This is info you don't often read in a book.

I think you are going to go ahead and do this. I don't know why, you never really told us. I do hope all goes well and you don't need to take over from the parents. Just be aware that when you aren't wanting them to breed the hen may lay eggs anyhow. Here in Australia right now, there are Quarrions everywhere, prices have dropped and the popular colours change each year and no one can predict what the babies will look like or the male to female ratio. In the outback its not the same story.
I didn't start feeding young babies. I didn't have the experience and I knew I may make a mistake. I started by spoon feeding a baby that was feathered up. Crop needles came way later.
If the parents can't manage you have to realise you are the babies only hope and if you get it wrong its over. Perhaps find a breeder who will let you, and your mum, who will be doing the night feeds, have some hands on experience or at least allow you to watch them feeding. People on here know how tricky it is. They are passionate about their flock. I hope you come back and let us know how well you went, if you need help or what, if anything went wrong. Your story will help others. Good luck.

 

[Les charlson]

Oh I forgot to add links.
Hand Rearing Baby Parrot part 1 - The Feeding

Just for fun. Ads for babies, note this is just one of many places to advertise. Notice the difference in price here for hand raised and parent raised. There is no $'s in parent raised and hand raised are not much better. Its near the end of breeding season here and people are dropping their prices. cockatiel | Birds | Gumtree Australia Free Local Classifieds

 

[WhteRnbwBirdie]

@Les charlson I have 1 cuttlebone and 1 mineral block for calcium, Kaytee Forti-diet for food, and I'm researching egg binding -- and how to avoid it -- as we speak. I still say, 8 months = sexual maturity, because I have read that on more than one website. I'm confident in my hen because she has layed fertile eggs in the past, according to her breeder. She's done it before. My male was hand-raised and is less skittish than his mate, at 6 months old, he can step up on request. She doesn't. I think she has been used mainly as a breeder. IDK. She still bites a bit, Jay (the breeder) must not have handled her much, if at all. But she is a very sweet girl. When the cage is open, she'll walk on the door, get close to me & just sit and stare @ me.

 

[Les charlson]

Try some Oz sites as well. Breeding at 12/18 months is advised so as to end up with a viable,healthy clutch. These sites also talk about feeding. You will need to pay attention to the type of box they need.
Cockatiel breeding
Breeding Cockatiels

 

[WhteRnbwBirdie]

What is the mutation platinum? do they mean cinnamon? lol. Those 'Platinums' look Cinnamon to me.

 

[Les charlson]

Genetics
Platinum
I think you can only get the platinum in Oz. My mistake. Pic here, they look quite different.Pittwater Animal Hospital - Cockatiels

 

[WhteRnbwBirdie]

CARDBOARD NEST BOXES FOR COCKATIELS — National Cockatiel Society

 

[TinyFeathers]

WhteRndwBirdie,

Please listen to the people who are saying not to breed. You need a lot more experience. When i joined the forum, i was very bad at owning pet birds, these people told me about proper diet, cage sizes and all, i was a little annoyed at first, but once is starting listening, everything started going right. Please don't risk your birds health, or any new birds. We all are just trying to help, maybe you should wait to breed, till you are a little more experienced, please.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Well I'm late to this thread but I too have concerns.

@WhteRnbwBirdie who have you talk to about breeding your birds beside this forum and your mom? You mentioned a vet that's near you that treats birds, have you ever talked to that vet? Have your two current birds ever been vetted? Also you mentioned a bird store that the babies would go to if you can't find homes for them. Have you talked them? Do you even know if they'll take them? Most pets stores I know just won't take birds from anyone. And I don't mean to be rude but what's your financial situation? Are you living paycheck to paycheck? There's no shame if you are, plenty people do including myself but that also means it's not financially feasible to breed. If you can't afford emergency vet trips for the babies than yes it unethical to breed.

There are plenty of other hobbies you can do that don't come with financial risks or heaven forbid life and death risks with breeding. Training tricks to your cockatiels would enriching for you and them!

Personally I'm not a big fan of breeding birds for various reasons that I won't go into here. That said I do respect responsible breeders of any kind of animal. Its true that even the most experienced and ethical breeders run into trouble. Unfortunately you can't predict how healthy the babies will be even the best planning. Which it is why it is crucial you are financially able to look after the babies. So to be blunt are you financially ready for this commit you seem so he l l bent on?

 

[SquawksNibbles]

I think she has been used mainly as a breeder. IDK. She still bites a bit, Jay (the breeder) must not have handled her much, if at all.

I truly believe that your time and effort that you want to put into breeding should be spent on your sweet little girl. You believe she has been mainly used as a breeder before. So, I think now is the time for her to just be cared for and loved and just given the best life possible, not for her to be used for even more breeding. If you just focused all of your time on your current birds, you could build a strong bond with Jay. With lots of love and time, I seriously believe that you can gain her trust more. Based off your previous posts, the main reason you want to breed is because it would be a “hobby,” something that can keep you busy, make you happy, and keep you entertained. Take the time to bond with Jay, and trust me, you will not regret a second of that time spent on her.

 

[Feather]

I truly believe that your time and effort that you want to put into breeding should be spent on your sweet little girl. You believe she has been mainly used as a breeder before. So, I think now is the time for her to just be cared for and loved and just given the best life possible, not for her to be used for even more breeding. If you just focused all of your time on your current birds, you could build a strong bond with Jay. With lots of love and time, I seriously believe that you can gain her trust more. Based off your previous posts, the main reason you want to breed is because it would be a “hobby,” something that can keep you busy, make you happy, and keep you entertained. Take the time to bond with Jay, and trust me, you will not regret a second of that time spent on her.

Spoiling the heck out of the birds in your care already is a great hobby.

It is unbelievably rewarding to work with a previously used bird and gain their trust and watch them blossom as a companion animal. My cockatiel, Skyline, started out as a frightened and abused bird who was terrified of me and everything. It took him two years to trust me enough to let me touch him and I don't regret a single second I spent working with him. He is the most amazing cockatiel I have ever known and I love him to pieces.

It is time-consuming and rewarding enough to love the ones who are here now.

 

[Zara]

@Les charlson I still say, 8 months = sexual maturity, because I have read that on more than one website.

Cockatiels are physically able to breed when they are about 9 to 12 months old; however, sexual maturity is only reached when they are 15 to 24 months old.

 

[tka]

Cockatiels are notorious for laying eggs regardless. It's not a case of giving them one year on and one year off - they won't listen! As far as I know @rocky'smom's Sweet Pea was never a breeding hen, but she laid continuously and eventually died of complications from egg laying.

Gaining a bird's trust is a wonderful, rewarding thing. Leia was originally pretty wary of me simply because I was a stranger. I spent a lot of time just working on our relationship and gaining her trust, and now I have a fantastic companion who showers with me, is on my shoulder while I wash up or talk on the phone, hangs out with me while I work, begs for headscratches, preens my hair... The relationship you can have with a parrot is like nothing else. Why not spend some time getting to know your female bird and bring out her personality? I bet there's a total sweetheart in there, waiting for you to nurture her.

 

[Ripshod]

Just a few common sense questions.

You have an iodine block in your cage. WHY?? If you can't take proper care of the parents how the hell do you expect them and yourself to take proper care of babies?

What will you do if a bird can't physically eat? Ask Google? Watch YouTube vids? That's no way to help your bird, by the time you've done that it's already too late.

Have you spent any time with a proper breeder to learn techniques and diagnosis? Baby birds aren't experiments.

In the same vein what are you going to do when you get bored or tired of it all?

Can you afford the bills for an avian vet? We're talking 100s if not 1000s of dollars. Or will you just knock a sick bird on the head and throw it in the bin?

Have you even got the time for this? Even one breeding pair with babies can easily sap 18+hrs out of your day. Even if you do have help, how much help is that in hours?

Relationships. Do you have a boy/girlfriend? If yes then I hope they are understanding and will share your together time with the birds.

What's the laws/bylaws for exotic bird breeders in your area?

You have a great source of knowledge on this forum. SIT DOWN AND READ IT!

 

[rocky'smom]

@rocky'smom's Sweet Pea was never a breeding hen, but she laid continuously and eventually died of complications from egg laying.
That right, I did everything in my power to get her to stop. She would for a few months and we would be back in the stew again. I miss my beautiful girl.

 

[finchly]

I’m late to the thread, someone messaged me to come to it.

A big gold star to @Brittany0208 and @HolliDaze who have made some great posts. Quite a few others too but those 2are hanging in there nicely with advice . Good job!

@WhteRnbwBirdie you haven’t said where you reside; are there lots of tiels for sale/ in rescue in your area? This is something to look into before you insist on breeding.

There are 2 things that raise red flags for me here. One is lack of planning, which is why we’re trying to help you figure it all out. You have to be ready for sick birds, weak birds, injuries, night fright, and more. You have to house all those birds— they get to adult size quickly and they need lots of space. Flying room = healthy birds; cramped quarters or overcrowding means Ill and weaker birds. And you need a plan for when buyers return them a year later, having lost interest, and they’re covered in mites and missing toes.

The 2nd red flag is it seems like you don’t love your birds. Maybe you do but I’m not feeling it. If you did you wouldn’t be all gung ho to breed an immature pair. Too much can go wrong. They’re not a commodity, they are lives.

Before you go all high and mighty on me, I’m a Breeder myself. I breed Gouldian finches, for which there is high demand. They’re a lot of work and $$$ and there’s no true profit. The money goes right back for bird food. I do it to share them with others, so they can enjoy them like I do.

I have 3 cockatiels and do not and will never breed them. There are literally hundreds, maybe thousands of tiels in rescue in my state. They can live more than 20 years, people just don’t have the dedication to keep them that long.

Btw lots of the birds that need homes are pearl or white faced. They’re less common but not rare.

Mine are pets and nothing else. One is from a rescue. The 2 girls occasionally lay eggs and we deal with it appropriately. The rescue bird is at least 20 , has a permanent bend in one wing, no crest, and couldn’t fly when we got him. He’s an important member of the family.

It’s clear that you have an attitude, perhaps earned from being bashed on another forum or perhaps you are close minded by nature. At any rate, we don’t know it all and it’s always good to learn from those who have more experience.

I hope you take the advice in this thread to heart.

Btw can we see a photo of your moms cockers? Here’s mine.

 

[Matto]

I'll just say this... breeding is hard work and it's very difficult to make a significant profit. If you don't have a deep love of birds, it's not for you. You won't make a lot of money. Your reward is most likely going to be raising beautiful babies and seeing them off to good homes. It's also life and death and the mistakes you make will stay with you forever. There are no days off, no vacations. Sometimes we can barely leave our house because we need to feed the babies every few hours.

I am by no means anti-breeder, and I would be happy to answer any questions that I can for you, but I'm not sure this is the best idea for you right now.

 

[WhteRnbwBirdie]

@Matto I would love to see the babies grow up and go off to caring homes. I'm currently wondering how to tell when your female is about to lay, and how to spot and prevent egg binding.

 

[Hankmacaw]

You are far too ignorant of what is required to breed your birds. All I can see is a death sentence for any babies you manage to hatch.

This exhibits your ignorance,- there is nothing you can do to prevent egg binding and if you don't even know how to tell when a hen is about to lay, you are completely out of the game.

 

[WhteRnbwBirdie]

@Hankmacaw Princess is the first female tiel I've had in my life, so no, I don't automatically know how to tell when a hen is about to lay, thank you. Egg binding can potentially be avoided with mineral blocks and other suppliments. Just looked it up. For those wondering, I live near Detroit Michigan, in an outlying, nicer suburb about an hour away. Not a lot of avian vets around, but there is one. I'm willing to take her in if something goes awry. I have some money saved up. I would keep unsold chicks for as long as I and their parents could handle them, if worse came to worse, off to the bird specialty store in Ann Arbor. Yes, things will happen, yes, much education is needed, but yes, life goes on.