Unexpected cockatiel surprise...an egg!

[Denisewalks]

I have a pair of tiels that have been with my family for about 3-4 years now. I don't know anything about their past as I got them from someone who no longer wanted them. All I know if that one of them was purchased and the other one found.

This morning there was an egg at the bottom of their cage. It was no good, but I'm wondering if I should get them a breeding box or something? We would welcome any new bird into our flock.

 

[MonicaMc]

If you are interested in breeding, they are now healthy, you have or can get everything that's necessary and you can be prepared to hand feed, then by all means, go for it! This means more cages and expensive, of course.

If not, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Denisewalks]

I'm willing to pay whatever additional expense I need to. I just want my little guys to be happy.

 

[MonicaMc]

If they are pets, they may not remain pets once they start breeding and raising chicks.

The best thing would be to find a breeder near you that could help you in case of emergencies and help guide you along the way with breeding and raising.

Cockatiels are supposedly chronic egg layers, so once they get started, it can sometimes be hard to get them to stop. Some hens will start laying a new clutch before the first one is even weaned/out of the nest.

Egg laying and raising chicks can be quite taxing on the parents, particularly the hen. They can be quite happy without breeding, although it is an instinctual thing to reproduce.


Just make sure that it's something *you* want to do, and you have the time and expenses for it.

 

[BirdyShanna]

And be prepared that anything may happen and you can end up hand-feeding them every 2 to 3 hours...

Like I found out that my hen plucked the chicks ferociously and I had to take them away from her.

Better be prepared and have everything go smoothly than the other way around!
:41::41:

 

[Denisewalks]

Thank you for the advice, everyone. I will keep an eye on things and if they start laying I'm willing to feed them when needed. In the meantime I will start contacting breeders in case I need help.

They were never hand tame to begin with, so we won't be losing that. We wou,d just chitter chatter with them.

Thank you again.

 

[BirdyShanna]

You're welcome! Some links which might be helpful:
Just Cockatiels! - HOME
Albums -             International Cockatiel Resource                          Uniting the World!

They tell you alllll kinds of things that can go wrong, and made even me nervous! And I've had a couple of nests that were fine -besides the plucking being done-. So don't let this scare you. I've put them here because there are also some very helpful tips 'n tricks to be found.
Also if they lay eggs they need more and different nutrition than just birdseed! There are probably tons of advise to be found online, so I'll leave that to you.

Hearing your dedication I believe you'll make a fine guardian for your chicks to be.

One last thing, the first nests are often not fertilized so don't worry about that. You can find out if there is a chick in the egg by candling it, just google that and you'll find how it works. There are a lot of nice how-to's etc. written on the internet so it doesn't have much use for me to write what I know since it won't be as detailed as those.

Good luck! Shanna

 

[PikaLina]

I have a pair of tiels that have been with my family for about 3-4 years now. I don't know anything about their past as I got them from someone who no longer wanted them. All I know if that one of them was purchased and the other one found.

This morning there was an egg at the bottom of their cage. It was no good, but I'm wondering if I should get them a breeding box or something? We would welcome any new bird into our flock.

Congrats on the egg! Here are some websites with more in-depth information as well as a link to a YouTube video showing the first 30 days of a baby tiel's life. I hope they help and do keep us posted!

Australian National Cockatiel Society
Australian National Cockatiel Society (ANCS)

American Cockatiel Society
Welcome to the American Cockatiel Society

Cockatiel Cottage (made by an experienced breeder with references to avian literature written by avian veterinarians)
Cockatiel Cottage, Cockatiels, basic care and general information on the cockatiel, cockatiel information, cockatiels basic care, diet, nutrition, pellet diets, health, illness, behavior, taming, behavior problems, biting, sickness, symptoms of a sic

Video: Baby Cockatiel's First 30 Days
[ame=http://youtu.be/yAUhTPqESdk]Baby Cockatiels' first 30 days - YouTube[/ame]