Single Female Cockatiel is Broody? Need Advice!!

[BossyBantam]

Hello!
I have a 4 yr old single female named Opal, who I'm fairly sure is broody? Lately, she's been being very... "flirty" with her toys, and I've noticed her frequently hanging out in the corner of the bottom of her cage for the past couple of days. She would come back up and want out though, so I always assumed she was just ripping up the paper towels down there for fun. Well, just today, when I went near her cage, she got very angry and puffed up, doing that funny rocking thing they do when they think they've found a potential nest. When I got a little closer, she actually charged at me, hissing. I have chickens, so I'm familiar with broody hens, but I've never dealt with it in cockatiels before, so I was wondering if anyone had any advice? She's usually very tame and cuddley, so you can imagine my surprise when she started acting like this, lol

I'm assuming that I should just let her be and try not to stress her out.. but like I said, I've never dealt with broody cockatiels ;u;
One thing I am a little concerned about though, is that the corner she's picked has some poop there. Could that be a problem? I'm worried that if I try to change the paper towels, she'll get really stressed out, but I also dont want her sitting in poop... help?

Thank you!!

 

[BossyBantam]

She also appears to be struggling to poop. Is there anything I can do to help her?

 

[theoldchick]

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/egg-binding-in-birds

 

[BossyBantam]

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/egg-binding-in-birds

Oh! Do you think she's egg bound? She hasn't been acting in pain or anything, and is very active when she's not in her broody mood. The only slight thing i've noticed is that she strains a bit more than usual when she poops. Could that be a reason for concern?

 

[theoldchick]

I do get concerned when I see one of my cockatiels sitting on the bottom of the cage. But if your bird is eating well and is otherwise acting okay. Her straining to defecate might be part of her broodiness. Some hens can produce huge amounts of 'broody poop' at one time and will strain during the process.

 

[JaeG]

Just let Opal go through the motions of being broody. Taking eggs away would only encourage her to lay more to replace them so leave them where she puts them and just ensure she has access to a piece of cuttlefish or fine oyster shell grit to ensure she get sufficient calcium and does not become egg bound.

Limiting her daylight hours is one way of reducing the likelihood of a cockatiel hen going broody as longer 'daytime' hours (which includes having indoor lights on at night) can cause a shift in their hormones because they think it's summer.

We have a cockatiel hen called Opal too. She loves having babies and her mate is called Neon.