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My 1yr old "male" cockatiel just laid an egg

Skum

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Bruce Bergeson
Hello, haven't posted in a while. My 1 yr old "male", lol, cockatiel Ivan, now Ivan's just laid an egg. I need some advice, had a male for 25 yrs but not familiar with females. Have read some information but not sure what to do. Should I leave the egg in until she lays a set or take it out?
 

Tiel Feathers

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Leave the egg. She might lay more eggs every other day until she feels she has a full clutch, and she won’t sit on them until more are laid, if she sits on them at all. Once she she abandons them completely, you can remove them all at once. Replacing the eggs with dummy eggs is a good idea so they don’t break. They also help in stopping laying because you can flood her all at once with a full clutch. You can also boil her eggs if you don’t have dummy eggs. Make sure she does not have any cozy areas or nest spots. I just put the eggs on a folded paper towel on the cage grate. I like to shake things up when my tiel lays by rearranging her cage and making her come out for exercise, even if she doesn’t want to because she’s sitting on eggs.
 

Skum

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Bruce Bergeson
Leave the egg. She might lay more eggs every other day until she feels she has a full clutch, and she won’t sit on them until more are laid, if she sits on them at all. Once she she abandons them completely, you can remove them all at once. Replacing the eggs with dummy eggs is a good idea so they don’t break. They also help in stopping laying because you can flood her all at once with a full clutch. You can also boil her eggs if you don’t have dummy eggs. Make sure she does not have any cozy areas or nest spots. I just put the eggs on a folded paper towel on the cage grate. I like to shake things up when my tiel lays by rearranging her cage and making her come out for exercise, even if she doesn’t want to because she’s sitting on eggs.
Thanks! that's exactly what I wanted to know. Originally being shocked that my "male" tile was actually female I took the egg out but after getting some information out it back. I actually out it on a paper towel in the corner where she's been nesting. I took her out last night but she flew back to the cage straight away, I'll do so again today but close it. Thanks for the advice. I'm calling her Ivana now
 

Skum

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Bruce Bergeson
Leave the egg. She might lay more eggs every other day until she feels she has a full clutch, and she won’t sit on them until more are laid, if she sits on them at all. Once she she abandons them completely, you can remove them all at once. Replacing the eggs with dummy eggs is a good idea so they don’t break. They also help in stopping laying because you can flood her all at once with a full clutch. You can also boil her eggs if you don’t have dummy eggs. Make sure she does not have any cozy areas or nest spots. I just put the eggs on a folded paper towel on the cage grate. I like to shake things up when my tiel lays by rearranging her cage and making her come out for exercise, even if she doesn’t want to because she’s sitting on eggs.
Update: I put her cage in front of the kitchen window like I do every morning and opened the door and she came out, she ate an orange with me and was out all morning. When I put the cage back in the front room at lunch she immediately went back in to meet. We normally eat lunch together. I'll do this until it's over
 

Destiny

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Since it sounds like you don't have a second cockatiel, boiling the eggs isn't necessary unless you have problems with breakage. An intact egg should be fine at room temperature for several weeks. Boiling actually reduces the "shelf life" by removing the protective bloom that coats a newly laid eggs, so they might not stay fresh for so long that way. Some people move eggs into an open topped box on the cage floor to protect them from rolling around too much.

Average clutch size for cockatiels is around four to five eggs, but sometimes they will lay up to eight. Cockatiels are known to occasionally have trouble with excessive laying - instead of stopping after they have a full clutch, they keep producing more and more eggs. This is more likely to be an issue if you are pulling out the eggs, because they are indeterminate egg-layers. That means cockatiels decide when to stop laying based on eggs in the nest, not number of eggs already laid. Excessive egg laying can also be caused by hormonal imbalances or genetic factors.

If you decide to buy dummy eggs, make sure that they are sized appropriately for cocktails. If they are too large or too small, she might reject them.

If using her eggs, it is a good idea to mark them so you can tell new eggs from old eggs. This is more important if you are dealing with fertile eggs, but still not a bad idea for keeping a close eye on when laying has finished.

You can let her sit on the eggs until she abandons them naturally (if she decides to start sitting at all). Or you can wait until she has stopped laying for a week and then remove the eggs and rearrange the whole cage. The combination of the new layout and lack of eggs should help break her brood. There are also other things you can adjust to reduce hormonal behavior, like adjusting diet, light exposure, and handling practices.

Lastly, be sure that you are providing ample calcium supplementation and good overall nutrition during the egg laying and brooding. Food and water may need to be moved closer, since a single mother without a mate to feed her will not want to leave the nest once she starts sitting on her eggs.

Good luck with your "new" girl! :)
 
Last edited:

Skum

Walking the driveway
Joined
7/11/19
Messages
294
Real Name
Bruce Bergeson
Since it sounds like you don't have a second cockatiel, boiling the eggs isn't necessary unless you have problems with breakage. An intact egg should be fine at room temperature for several weeks. Boiling actually reduces the "shelf life" by removing the protective bloom that coats a newly laid eggs, so they might not stay fresh for so long that way. Some people move eggs into an open topped box on the cage floor to protect them from rolling around too much.

Average clutch size for cockatiels is around four to five eggs, but sometimes they will lay up to eight. Cockatiels are known to occasionally have trouble with excessive laying - instead of stopping after they have a full clutch, they keep producing more and more eggs. This is more likely to be an issue if you are pulling out the eggs, because they are indeterminate egg-layers. That means cockatiels decide when to stop laying based on eggs in the nest, not number of eggs already laid. Excessive egg laying can also be caused by hormonal imbalances or genetic factors.

If you decide to buy dummy eggs, make sure that they are sized appropriately for cocktails. If they are too large or too small, she might reject them.

If using her eggs, it is a good idea to mark them so you can tell new eggs from old eggs. This is more important if you are dealing with fertile eggs, but still not a bad idea for keeping a close eye on when laying has finished.

You can let her sit on the eggs until she abandons them naturally (if she decides to start sitting at all). Or you can wait until she has stopped laying for a week and then remove the eggs and rearrange the whole cage. The combination of the new layout and lack of eggs should help break her brood. There are also other things you can adjust to reduce hormonal behavior, like adjusting diet, light exposure, and handling practices.

Lastly, be sure that you are providing ample calcium supplementation and good overall nutrition during the egg laying and brooding. Food and water may need to be moved closer, since a single mother without a mate to feed her will not want to leave the nest once she starts sitting on her eggs.

Good luck with your "new" girl! :)
Thanks! so far just the first egg which she's ignoring now(sat on it yesterday) I got all this information already just nervous she might become a compulsive egg layer, early days yet. Thanks for your help
 
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