I have 1 male and female pair of cockatiel. I'm confused whether apiky (female) is about to lay eggs. They have stopped mating since 1 week. Usually they used to be mating daily. But now i haven't seen them since 1 week. So I'm sort of confused regarding this. Fluffy ( male) keeps on singing for her every day and gradually tries to be romantic with her. Can anyone tell me how to know about the signs of egg laying.
-
Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here
Is spiky about to lay eggs ??confused. Please help
- Thread starter nabeela
- Start date
-
- Tags
- cockatiel egg laying
First of all if you were an experienced person in the art of breeding birds you would not be asking this question. Second if this is so please consider getting dummy eggs or fixing the eggs that may be laid so they are not viable. In other words please do not let these birds raise a family. So many things can go wrong, especially with unexperienced humans and birds. There are many homeless cockatiels in the world, more is not good. Make sure your female is not retaining eggs as in egg binding because this if a life threatening emergency. Have you taken this female to a vet to be checked out? How old is she? Have you been giving them a diet that is building up there nutritional status for birthing? I suggest you take out any nesting materials like a nest box and have the female examined by a vet.
sunnysmom
Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Is she acting normally ?
Cockatielmamaw
Strolling the yard
Hey, i just wanted to tell you, experienced or not, you can do whatever you like with your birds as opposed to what others might say. Are you ever really,"experienced". No. I have raised cockatiels for many years, and i still ask questions every day. That is one of the reasons i joined this site. I also google everything and usually get questions answered that way. The main thing is, if you do want babies, and i do also at some time, make sure you have people who may want a feather baby, or limit your clutch. Just enjoy your tiels as i do every day. You may also call your vet as i do if it is something very important. Be patient, if it is meant to be it will happen.
I have raised a baby pigeon 3 years back. And with God's grace he is healthy. I have checked on google many things related to egg laying for cockatiels. I know what nutrient content is required for her when she is about to lay eggs. She needs more of calcium to avoid egg binding. I'm providing her vitamins and seeds of all kind which are beneficial for them. Spiky is 2 years 3 months old. I have not provided any besting material. Because i know if i provide them with nest they will definitely want to layy eggs . So i have avoided that for now. I haven't taken her to vet as of now. Her routine check ups are done timely by the vet. I'll ensure if she's retaining any egg
Monica
Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Just because birds are your property doesn't mean that gives you the right to do whatever it is that you want with your birds. Pretty sure that abuse and neglect can be fined! Or the animals potentially taken away from you! Killing them is also against the law... One thing to have a vet euthanize a pet for you, it's another for you to intentionally kill a pet.
Unless it's a chicken, a pig, a goat or some other type of animal like that... and you're gonna eat it. Cockatiels don't have very much meat on them anyway, so it seems like it would be more hassle than it's worth.....
Okay, fine. You ( @Cockatielmamaw ) want to breed your birds? (rhetorical question) Are you aware of the proper diet for your birds? Are they eating a healthy diet? (just because you provide a healthy diet, doesn't mean they'll eat it) Is the hen flighted and getting daily exercise? (overweight and under exercised hens may have a higher chance of egg binding) Do you know the signs of peritonitis? Egg binding? What to do if a hen lays a soft shelled egg? Are you experienced in hand feeding chicks? Do you know the temperature the formula needs to be at? Can you hand feed every hour around the clock if the parents neglect, abuse, or over-feed their chicks? Do you have a brooder on hand for raising chicks? Syringes? Electrolyte solution? Are you aware of the dangers of burned crop, slow crop, sour crop, over-extended crop, dehydration? Do you know how to wean chicks?
It's not about the human being, but about the birds! The birds' health! Generally speaking, pets don't make good breeders, and breeders don't make good pets. I have a female cockatiel that masturbates and lays eggs. Does that mean I should get her a mate? NOT AT ALL! The only male that has, thus far, shown any interest in her and tried to woo her over, she completely ignored. I mean, she'd be enjoying herself, he'd get all excited, saunter over with his best songs and wings out trying to impress her, and she'd stop and then walk or fly off. She was raised by humans so she doesn't understand the whole "birds and the bees", and I'm fine with that!
Lady Jane's point is that, if you don't know what you are doing, then you shouldn't be encouraging your birds to reproduce. More harm could come of it with little to no knowledge than trying to discourage the behavior. So okay, what if you don't know how to hand raise the chicks and you don't have the equipment to do so anyway? Birds have been raising their own offspring for centuries out in the wild with no help from humans! And that's fine! But what if you end up with wild chicks that want nothing to do with humans? People aren't going to want a pet that takes time to work with in order to get them socialized with humans. They want the instant gratification of having a pet that already enjoys human companionship. Or what if you end up with chicks that you have no homes for? And you can't find homes for them? Can you financially care for more birds? Do you have the space for more cages?
Simply put, breeding birds is nothing like breeding cats and dogs. You can get human friendly kittens and puppies simply by playing with them as they grow up and their mothers raise them! Try that with birds, and good luck! You have a higher chance of the chicks thinking you are a predator rather than a companion. Not to say it's impossible, just birds are a completely different creature to mammals, and require a lot more care when it comes to raising them.
Being a breeder, even if it's just as a hobby breeder, should be done with responsibility, care, forethought and with as much knowledge and experience as one can get. Having a mentor (i.e. another breeder) can greatly help in case problems arise! And an avian vet, too!
@nabeela A seed only diet is not very healthy for cockatiels. If you have access to pellets, they would be a great addition! Vegetables and some grains and possibly legumes are also essential to the diet. Adding vitamins may help, but it's not the same as her getting fresh foods. (are they eating vegetables every day? or still having problems getting them to eat healthier?)
If you have the same cage you did 8-9 months ago, it is too small for them to be breeding in. You will need an additional cage anyway for any offspring, if you do have a proper setup.
Raising a pigeon and raising a cockatiel are two completely different ballparks! I would say that it's probably easier to raise a pigeon than it is a cockatiel!
As far as egg laying goes... generally, the female puts on weight (gram scale...) when she's "with egg", and her rump will become enlarged. Here are some images of what "egg butt" or "egg bum" look like.
Image 1
Image 2
And additional info, from Casey Meanny and International Cockatiel Resource website.
I'm sorry that you live where you do and you may not have access to as many luxuries as many other members of this forum do, so you work with what you've got. That you have a vet (doctor) that sees birds is great in itself!
I'm in agreement with Lady Jane, in that if you don't know what you're doing, it's probably not a good idea to encourage them to breed. That said, it's still a good idea to know what to look for, if things ever get any further than mating and doing as much research as you can now. You can try increasing or decreasing the amount of daylight they get to try and discourage hormones although the best way to prevent them from having a family is by not allowing them to be together. Hopefully, you can continue to keep them together and Spiky will never lay eggs! If she does, we can try preventative measures from there! If you can buy dummy eggs, that'd be great! If not, well, we'll work with what you do have!
Unless it's a chicken, a pig, a goat or some other type of animal like that... and you're gonna eat it. Cockatiels don't have very much meat on them anyway, so it seems like it would be more hassle than it's worth.....
Okay, fine. You ( @Cockatielmamaw ) want to breed your birds? (rhetorical question) Are you aware of the proper diet for your birds? Are they eating a healthy diet? (just because you provide a healthy diet, doesn't mean they'll eat it) Is the hen flighted and getting daily exercise? (overweight and under exercised hens may have a higher chance of egg binding) Do you know the signs of peritonitis? Egg binding? What to do if a hen lays a soft shelled egg? Are you experienced in hand feeding chicks? Do you know the temperature the formula needs to be at? Can you hand feed every hour around the clock if the parents neglect, abuse, or over-feed their chicks? Do you have a brooder on hand for raising chicks? Syringes? Electrolyte solution? Are you aware of the dangers of burned crop, slow crop, sour crop, over-extended crop, dehydration? Do you know how to wean chicks?
It's not about the human being, but about the birds! The birds' health! Generally speaking, pets don't make good breeders, and breeders don't make good pets. I have a female cockatiel that masturbates and lays eggs. Does that mean I should get her a mate? NOT AT ALL! The only male that has, thus far, shown any interest in her and tried to woo her over, she completely ignored. I mean, she'd be enjoying herself, he'd get all excited, saunter over with his best songs and wings out trying to impress her, and she'd stop and then walk or fly off. She was raised by humans so she doesn't understand the whole "birds and the bees", and I'm fine with that!
Lady Jane's point is that, if you don't know what you are doing, then you shouldn't be encouraging your birds to reproduce. More harm could come of it with little to no knowledge than trying to discourage the behavior. So okay, what if you don't know how to hand raise the chicks and you don't have the equipment to do so anyway? Birds have been raising their own offspring for centuries out in the wild with no help from humans! And that's fine! But what if you end up with wild chicks that want nothing to do with humans? People aren't going to want a pet that takes time to work with in order to get them socialized with humans. They want the instant gratification of having a pet that already enjoys human companionship. Or what if you end up with chicks that you have no homes for? And you can't find homes for them? Can you financially care for more birds? Do you have the space for more cages?
Simply put, breeding birds is nothing like breeding cats and dogs. You can get human friendly kittens and puppies simply by playing with them as they grow up and their mothers raise them! Try that with birds, and good luck! You have a higher chance of the chicks thinking you are a predator rather than a companion. Not to say it's impossible, just birds are a completely different creature to mammals, and require a lot more care when it comes to raising them.
Being a breeder, even if it's just as a hobby breeder, should be done with responsibility, care, forethought and with as much knowledge and experience as one can get. Having a mentor (i.e. another breeder) can greatly help in case problems arise! And an avian vet, too!
@nabeela A seed only diet is not very healthy for cockatiels. If you have access to pellets, they would be a great addition! Vegetables and some grains and possibly legumes are also essential to the diet. Adding vitamins may help, but it's not the same as her getting fresh foods. (are they eating vegetables every day? or still having problems getting them to eat healthier?)
If you have the same cage you did 8-9 months ago, it is too small for them to be breeding in. You will need an additional cage anyway for any offspring, if you do have a proper setup.
Raising a pigeon and raising a cockatiel are two completely different ballparks! I would say that it's probably easier to raise a pigeon than it is a cockatiel!
As far as egg laying goes... generally, the female puts on weight (gram scale...) when she's "with egg", and her rump will become enlarged. Here are some images of what "egg butt" or "egg bum" look like.
Image 1
Image 2
And additional info, from Casey Meanny and International Cockatiel Resource website.
I'm sorry that you live where you do and you may not have access to as many luxuries as many other members of this forum do, so you work with what you've got. That you have a vet (doctor) that sees birds is great in itself!
I'm in agreement with Lady Jane, in that if you don't know what you're doing, it's probably not a good idea to encourage them to breed. That said, it's still a good idea to know what to look for, if things ever get any further than mating and doing as much research as you can now. You can try increasing or decreasing the amount of daylight they get to try and discourage hormones although the best way to prevent them from having a family is by not allowing them to be together. Hopefully, you can continue to keep them together and Spiky will never lay eggs! If she does, we can try preventative measures from there! If you can buy dummy eggs, that'd be great! If not, well, we'll work with what you do have!
@nabeela I hope Spiky is doing well. Here is a GREAT site about cockatiels, and if you scroll down they tell the signs of egg-laying.
Cockatiels, egg laying process, chronic egg laying in cockatiels and single birds, female cockatiels laying eggs,chronic reproductive syndrome,
single birds laying eggs, how to stop
a cockatiel and other birds from laying eggs, how avian bird eggs are fertilized, avian female reproductive system.
My 3 tiels are a little younger than yours, nobody has laid an egg yet although I have 2 females.
I don't plan on breeding mine (there are a lot of cockatiels in my state, for sale and in rescue, so I don't think it is needed). But if you are going to I wish you the best.
Cockatiels, egg laying process, chronic egg laying in cockatiels and single birds, female cockatiels laying eggs,chronic reproductive syndrome,
single birds laying eggs, how to stop
a cockatiel and other birds from laying eggs, how avian bird eggs are fertilized, avian female reproductive system.
My 3 tiels are a little younger than yours, nobody has laid an egg yet although I have 2 females.
I don't plan on breeding mine (there are a lot of cockatiels in my state, for sale and in rescue, so I don't think it is needed). But if you are going to I wish you the best.
I was actually going to get the same gender cockatiel for my pet spiky. But since i was very confused whether she was a female or vice versa i got her an opposite gender cockatiel. It's been a year they are together. But she did not lay eggs maybe because I did not provide her with the nest box. Thats why. I actually found her little healthier compared to the way she was before. So i thought maybe she is about to lay eggs or sumthng. I'm sending you some pics of her. It might help you all to know if she's about to lay or so.
I provide her with vitamins. Normal seed diet. And pellets she eats very few of it. I provide her scrambled egg. I'm arranging for cuttle bone. For calcium source to avoid egg binding . Also adding lettuce leaves in her diet soon.
I provide her with vitamins. Normal seed diet. And pellets she eats very few of it. I provide her scrambled egg. I'm arranging for cuttle bone. For calcium source to avoid egg binding . Also adding lettuce leaves in her diet soon.
Monica
Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
She kind of looks like she's got "egg butt". If she does lay, then you can either allow her to sit or try and discourage her.
Are there other vegetables you can introduce to her diet?
Are there other vegetables you can introduce to her diet?
Nabeela, if she lays the egg, don't remove it. She'll just lay another egg to replace it. We had that happen with Buddy, and it became a nightmare of eggs all the time. I've never heard of discouraging a 'tiel to sit on an egg it's already laid.
expressmailtome
Ripping up the road
Administrator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
- Joined
- 4/15/10
- Messages
- 50,082
- Real Name
- Matthew
No. Birds are lactose intolerant, so they should not have dairy. Vegetables such as kale and broccoli have a good amount of calcium. Other sources are pellets and mineral blocks made for birds.
As expressmailtome said, any dairy (such as curds) is bad news for birds. They cannot digest it. You can give her tums (antacid), believe it or not. Just grind a little up and put it over her food. If you give hard-boiled egg, you can also try some finely ground eggshell.
santacruzjack
Walking the driveway
- Joined
- 7/29/16
- Messages
- 270
- Real Name
- Jack
If you have a pet shop that sells parakeet supplies (think, there may be something....) you can probably find a cuttlebone, it's a great source of calcium. What few vegetables have calcium may work if she's inclined to eat veggies. Don't discourage her from sitting on the egg when it happens... that will make her just... lay another egg, and now you'll have TWO eggs. And then three, if you discourage the next one.
I am NOT a breeder, but what little I know about working your girl off of this breeding cycle (If that's what you want to do) is that you'd probably have to replace her egg with a dummy egg, and wait for this to pass.... There's even more to it than that, as at any point she could decide it's time to continue the clutch, and it may go on.. very... very long. Don't discourage her interacting with the egg, as that's not what discouraging breeding behavior is.
I am NOT a breeder, but what little I know about working your girl off of this breeding cycle (If that's what you want to do) is that you'd probably have to replace her egg with a dummy egg, and wait for this to pass.... There's even more to it than that, as at any point she could decide it's time to continue the clutch, and it may go on.. very... very long. Don't discourage her interacting with the egg, as that's not what discouraging breeding behavior is.
Does it take 48 hours for an egg to develop after masterbation in all bird species?
