How to Tell If Your Cockatiel Is Going to Lay Eggs

Cockatiels are unusual pet birds - the females will lay eggs like chickens even if they don't have mates. There are some signs to look for to see if your cockatiel is a girl, and is going to lay a clutch.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cockatiel
• Cage
• Food and water dishes
• Other bird accessories

1. Check the cockatiel's age. If the cockatiel is a normal gray, and it does not have the bright yellow face by the time it is maybe a year old or so, after its first moult, then it is a female and will soon start laying.

2. If your bird is a pied or lutino, and in some cases, a pearl, then check for vocalizations. A male bird is often very inclined to whistle songs that it hears, such as Twisted Nerve from Kill Bill or the Andy Griffith Show theme. Females usually don't do that because for cockatiels, whistling is often a mating song.

3. Listen for a sort of warbling/squawking sound, and see if your bird is walking on the perch or sitting in its water dish with its butt up. That is the female mating call.

4. Be prepared for aggression - your usually friendly, docile pet will suddenly start charging at your hand with an angry squawk and bite.

5. Watch for nesting behavior - your cockatiel might be sitting in the corner of the cage with her butt up against it. That is her nest. If she were to be allowed out of her cage, she would probably look for a dark little spot in a bookshelf or an empty box.

Tips & Warnings

• Give your cockatiel lots of nutritious food while she is laying, as the eggs can deplete her body of calcium and other vital nutriants
• Keep a fresh cuttle bone and a mineral block in her cage, as they will be consumed quickly
• Put drops of bird vitamin supplements into her water
• Leave her be while she is laying, since she will be irritable
• Let her keep the eggs for around three weeks - she will abandon them when she realizes they won't hatch
• Do not rub her back while she is warbling - it will sexually stimulate her
• Do not remove any eggs from her cage since she will just lay more, further depleting her body of calcium and putting her in danger of deadly egg-binding.

Resources

• Female Cockatiel Egg-Laying
• Breeding Cockatiels

[TobyLee]

on 2/9/2009 Nicely written article about cockatiels. 5 stars*

[Susang6]

on 2/9/2009 I can honestly say that I learned something new. your tips offer a lot of detail, I will pass your article on to my friend as she is trying to breed her Cockatiel. 5*