Cockatiel Is Laying Eggs....

[Tony K T]

I have hens that haven't laid eggs.So I feel if she is laying eggs,she wants to be a mother,a natural thing for an adult anything.So why not let her breed and raise chicks like she must want?
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[usschicago1]

I agree with tony, I would give it a shot

 

[silkiechicken]

Don't remove the eggs, that will enocurage more eggs:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8812374

(Egg production of cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) is influenced by number of eggs in nest after incubation begins.)

If you don't have homes lined up for the babies, I would not breed them for the sake of breeding them. But that is all up to you.

 

[NightingaleJen]

I tend to agree with Nambroth, who has given you the exact advice I would have. My childhood 'tiel began laying when she was about seven. In her case, at least, the best thing to do was just leave her with her egg and let her sit on it until she got bored with it. This prevented her from laying more eggs (putting her at risk for all sorts of things, as you recognize). She never got egg-bound and stayed quite healthy. Joey gave us two little eggs and then decided this wasn't for her.

Not only is Nambroth correct about the breeding situation in the past, some pet birds will do this when they're bored. Now, Joey was spoiled, more like a puppy than a bird, and hardly ever in her cage other than at night. I'm not sure she was bored. We did, however, provide her with comfy newer perches and also made sure to cover her cage at night (her cage being in the living room) even if we were up late. I think this, more than anything, helped convince her to stop laying.

Good luck! Make sure she gets plenty of calcium; if your girl lays a new egg when you take away her old one, just leave it there for her and don't remove them.

 

[Luvs chickens]

I have a pair , male is a white face and female is an albino. They have 4 babies all white faces. I am going to start handfeeding them today. the oldest is 3 weeks and the youngest is 2 weeks. They are proud parents and a bird only pet store is buying the babies from me..

 

[redhen]

Wow! Just saw this! I dont know why i didnt see these responses earlier?? Weird...

Anyways... she ended up laying about 4 eggs....then stopped. I gave her the calcium in her water. She seems fine otherwise right now.

Tony... thanks for the offer!! But...not sure i want to deal with babies and all the stuff right now...(i'm sorely tempted though! I hand fed this girl myself.. and i loved doing it, but its sooo much work! )
But i WILL keep you in mind if i ever need another tiel!

What other kinds of birds do you breed?

Thanks for all the advice and help, guys!!

 

[silkiechicken]

Funny thing, my now year old tiel laid 4 eggs not too long after I posed earlier... She took over the corner of the bird room and decided anyone near should be attacked. Gave her a fertile parakeet egg to hatch, she hatched it, gave the chick back to the proper parents, and she stopped being broody and has returned to the spoiled loudmouth she had been. Did not leave the budgie chick with her because budgies feed their babies on their back and tiels don't. Budgies are great parents and took the chick back right away and both went into the box and fed the "new" chick till it was full.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Aww! I bet that baby parakeet was sooo tiny!
Now i want to hatch some... Bad Silkie!

 

[silkiechicken]

They are tiny and kind of ugly. LOL

And indoor birds do have broody poops....

You'll have to excuse the nasty nest box. Babies poop a lot! These were my pair's first clutch at 3 years old and the four are already grown and moved to their new homes.


Tiel was like, man that is a tiny egg and tiny baby, but did give it a first meal before I gave it back to the parakeets. Gave me the terrible idea to see if she would roll a silkie egg under as easily as she rolled the parakeet egg under. LOL

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Awww! So tiny!

And yeah.. i bet a silkie egg will fit under a tiel.... Muhahhahaha..
More evil ideas..