What should I do with my female cockatiel?

Question

She laid an egg in her food bowl. I know that she has not mated. What should I do? She is sitting on the egg most of the time.

Well it's an infertile egg. She has not mated at all.

Answer 1

Hey there :)

First rule about birds laying eggs is that if you take them away, they'll just lay more. It's nature's way of making more birds, as missing eggs in the wild mean that a predator's eaten them and chicks.

Let your hen sit on the eggs. She should lose interest after 19-21 days. She may lay 2-8 eggs. If it's her first time, she'll probably lay less. Feed her her normal diet, but watch her calcium. Sometimes offering scrambled egg with the shell still on will tempt her to eat something to keep her calcium reserves high. Cockatiels do a comical dance when they're protecting their eggs. She'll hiss and sway from side to side. Broody hens can plant a good bite, so I'd avoid the food bowl she's on and put another one in there for her. Her turds will also be huge and smelly. That's because she's sitting and instead of going every 15 minutes like they usually do, they hold it in, and go only when they leave the nesting area. The last rule is to not bug her too much. Let her do her thing. By constantly moving her off her nest-bowl, she'll find another spot and lay another clutch there. Cockatiels can be irritating that way >.< .

Good luck! Cockatiels are fun to watch when sitting!

Answer 2

I have a female cockatiel as well as a male, and they were producing eggs..constantly! What has worked best for me is to remove the egg and replace it with an artificial egg..as soon as possible. Unfortunately artificial cockatiel eggs are difficult to locate, so I was forced to use plastic parakeet eggs, but it works! Of course she and her mate both looked at the eggs suspiciously when I first made the switch (As if to say. "Excuse me but THAT is NOT the egg I laid!). Often, the han may lay 1-3 more eggs, but will get the message after awhile. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Do NOT remove the eggs because she will just continue to lay more, and in small birds Egg binding can occur and this can be deadly. Instead leave the eggs for about 21-30 days. They also loose caalcium while laying eggs so provide her with cuttlebone.

If you have her cage in one area most of them time then start moving her. Most cockatiels won't lay eggs if they haven't been in an environment that kind of stays in one place. Also since it's summer try making it feel like it's winter for her and leave her open to daylight for 8 hours. If she lays more than two clutches of eggs(one clutch can be 2-8 eggs) in a year, you may want to take her for chronic egg laying therapy. You don't have too but birds just get really weak with continous egg laying.

Answer 4

You know she doesn't have a mate so the eggs are not fertile. Take the eggs away from her because she will continue to set them. When a bird continually sets eggs with nothing hatching it stresses them. She might lay more eggs after you remove the ones she has but continue to take them away from her until she comes out of the brooding mode. My two female cockatiels have done the exact same thing and have even gotten nasty when I tried to remove the eggs but settled down within a short time.

Answer 5

Ok I know what to do.

When I worked in a pet store we had this female cockatiel that would lay an 2 eggs once a year. we let her raise the eggs for 2 weeks and then take them away, this satisfys her instict to nest. and takes away stress from her. If you keep taking away the eggs she will lay more and deplete her calcium supply.

Gails Worth owner of Aves International does the same method for her pet birds. She is one of the top respected aviculturists, and bird breeders in the country.

you can email me for more questions at [e-mail]

Answer 6

since she hasn't mated, then you know is not fertile...you can either take it out..or leave it...once a certain amount of days goes by (18-20 days) she'll abandon the egg and lay some more..

Answer 7

First of all, no one can say for sure what that bird will or will not do. single female birds do some really weird stuff. i don't see the harm in letting her set for a couple of weeks. she may never lay again. one things for sure, if a hen wants to lay shes gonna lay no matter what you do.

Answer 8

Let it hatch.Your lucky I can't get mine to lay an egg.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

well wait till it hatches then sell it or keep it or give it away