When will there be an egg?

[Cockatielmamaw]

So Sammy and Sundance, both cockatiels, keep mating. They are in love for sure. I have everything set up for new babies. The nest box is affixed to the outside of the cage with the opening accessible through the inside. I have soft Aspen shavings as nesting material. They have been breeding for over a month now. They both frequent the nest box all day long. There still isn't any egg laying. Why? She is a big bodied yellow pearl. Nice and healthy in every aspect. He is a pied. What will I have and when? If you are going to ridicule me for breeding, I respect that, but please do not reply. Thank you.

 

[SandraK]

Don't use wood shavings as nesting material - I've always used actual coconut fiber or jute and a mix of both. As for when there will be eggs, your guess would be as good as mine. She'll lay eggs when she's ready to and I don't believe anyone can rush that.

I don't track my tiels - several couples make whoopy but not all lay eggs. It's something like watching water boil - as long as you're waiting and watching, it won't happen. Walk away and forget about it and you'll probably have eggs when you're not looking.

 

[Cockatielmamaw]

Where do you get coconut shavings? And what is jute?

 

[SandraK]

Not coconut shavings - it's coconut fiber - it's fairly rough fiber, literally the hairy outside part of the real coconut it's as rough as hair from a horse's mane or tail. coconut fiber - Google Search and jute is softer and almost looks like cut up thick thread - jute nesting fiber - Google Search

I usually use the coconut fiber at the bottom of the nestbox and put a soft layer of the jute over it.

 

[Monica]

How old are Sammy and Sundance again?


Sundance = heavy pied or cinnamon pearl split pied?
Sammy = Light pied

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

My tiels usually lay eggs between January and March; summer weather in Australia! I your birds are less than a year old, no eggs this year, or if so, at the very end of the breeding season. I find the birds do best with egg production after their second year and on into their tenth; although I had a hen who produced eggs into her sixteenth year.

It is your business if you want to breed, no one else's. I stopped breeding due to the over population of tiels and the huge numbers of them in rescues. I loved breeding my tiels and raising the babies; one of the most wonderful and rewarding things I ever did with my life personally. I kept all but five the the babies I bred back then, so I didn't actually add to the over population problem. That first flock of birds are all dead and gone except one 17 year old hen who is still hanging on, and I have a new flock of all rescue birds except for three which were accidental breeding oops. If you want to breed, enjoy each moment of it and good luck to you.