Cockatiel Is Laying Eggs....

[redhen]

WHats the best thing to do for her? She has no nest in the cage... she just lays them on the cage floor. (i have no male..so the eggs arent fertile)
Should i take the eggs out as she lays them..or leave them in there so she stops laying?
I'm so worried about her getting egg bound..

 

[theoldchick]

Take them out. Your concerns about binding issues is valid. Consult with an avian vet about halting her egg laying cycle.

 

[redhen]

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Okay thanks!! Shes sitting on it off and on...
I have some calcium stuff to put in her water....
So..if i take out the eggs she'll eventually stop the laying cycle?

 

[Nambroth]

This is a valid concern for any parrot, but especially for cockatiels. In the past, hens have been selectively bred by 'puppy mill' breeders-- the hens that lay the most eggs are the ones that are encouraged to breed. Even if you bought from a reliable soruce, the genetics are out there and maybe your cockatiel's great-great-grandma was one of those birds. If she is from a pet store she might be a first generation offspring. I won't rant about how irresponsible this is over the long run, but let us just say that this has created a lot of hen cockatiels with the genetics to lay too many eggs at the drop of a hat! Unlike chickens, cockatiel's bodies are not designed for this and egg binding, calcium problems and a bunch of other health issues come up often.

Sadly many cockatiel hens have died from egg complications.

Removing the eggs will do one of two things:
1. It will break her hormonal triggers and she will stop or,
2. Her eggs are gone! She must replace them! And she will lay even more. Not good! In this case, it is possible to buy fake cockatiel eggs just for the purpose of giving her 'eggs' until she looses interest.

Each bird reacts a little differently. The best thing you can do is to reduce her hormonal triggers and see if that stops her broody cycle. If it does, great! If not, you need to seek an avian veterinarian that has experience with this, because it can cause her long term problems.

Here is a great article on reducing hormonal triggers: http://rationalparrot.com/tease.html
With cockatiels, 'sensual petting' is usually less of a problem than with larger parrots just because it's hard to pet a cockatiel in this way (most cockatiels freak out if you pet near their wings or tail I've noticed) but the rest is well worth a read!!

For cockatiels, photo-period (amount of daylight they get) is usually one of the biggest hormonal triggers. I'd recommend at least 10-12 hours of darkness at night-- actual darkness, not a room with a lamp on! Our human homes with artificial lighting tend to create photo-periods that are just too long and turn up their reproductive drive unnaturally. When I lived in an apartment with NO extra rooms to put my hormonal hen cockatiel in to give her darkness at night, I knew it was impractical to just turn all the lights off; I had to get things done and I often worked late hours and was up late. A cage cover wasn't enough to give her darkness, and a heavier cover was edging on cruel in the Texas heat. What people do in this situation is to buy a small, inexpensive "Roost" cage, and place it someplace such as a roomy closet or a bathroom where the door can be shut off from light. Put the cockatiel in the cage only to sleep-- it is not cruel as long as you do this on a regular, consistent schedule and leave her in there only during her sleep time (10-12 hours), and take her out again in the morning to her normal cage and play area.

If this does not help, again, please consider seeing an experienced vet. Good luck! You are not the only one that has 'been there' with this problem.

 

[redhen]

I'm so worried about her now... i handfed this little girl.

I think i need to call a vet for advice too...
Thaks for all your help!!

 

[JulieNKC]

If a cockatiel is laying it needs calcium same as a chicken. Make sure she has some available. Oops, just read you have stuff to put in her water, lol. My cockatiel would la a few eggs every now and then, she'd stop after a few. I wouldn't be too worried yet. Make sure she doesn't have anything in her cage that even remotely resembles a nest that will wncourage her egg laying. Mine would use her food dish, we had to switch to a different kind.
And the sleep cage is a good idea, I always had them for my bigger birds, not sure why I never thought my cockatiel needed one.

 

[bagendhens]

make sure shes got plenty of calcium...a cuttlebone plus free choice oyster and calcium rich grens like kale.

my personal experience has been if you remove them they will replace them...so i usually either leave them with her for a while, she eventually gives up, or replace them with dummy eggs.

i bleive you can get a hormonla shot for birds to kick them out of the egg laying phase, but usually as long as theyve got enough calcium, a good diet ect, most vets just suggest to let them be.

oh also, move her cage around, relocate it and change her toys about ect, do it regularly, they wont lay if they dont feel "secure" right now shes very comfortable, by moving her toys about and even changing scenery, it can often distract them enough that they stop trying to lay for a while...

 

[Moroccan Rooster 127]

My Luciana is just like a chicken. She does lay eggs just like yours all the time. Ive found that taking the eggs as soon as you have seen them is very important and giving her an extra hour of darkness clears up the problem, give her plenty of veggies!!!

 

[Tony K T]

I have a bunch of extra males if you need one.I would give her a birdhouse and see if she will lay in there.I am in Seabrook,N.H.,not too far from you.
In N.H.,Tony.
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[Nambroth]

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With no disrespect intended, this seems like an irresponsible thing to do (let them breed, that is). This is a hen that has a history of laying too many eggs, and would pass those genetics on. The chances for her offspring to carry this trait are higher, on through the line. This is already a huge problem for many cockatiel owners, and some of us spend lots of money at the vet to attempt to break this habit. Even worse, there have been many heartbroken pet owners that have had hen cockatiels die from egg binging or other complications that follow when a hen lays too many eggs.
Not to mention that most parrot rescue groups are full to overflowing with unwanted cockatiels. It is one thing to breed responsibly with the intention of improving genetics, however I don't think that would be the case, here...

No matter what happens I do hope that the OP's bird is all right.