My cockatiels laid a clutch of four eggs........?

Question

My cockatiels laid a clutch of four eggs and now the babies are 7 seven weeks old. The parents still feed the babies (only the male) and I havn't taken out the nestbox. Two days ago, the female laid a perfect egg and now(after 51 hours), there is still one egg. Do you know why the female is delaying or laid only one egg?

I give them boiled rice, cuttlebone and mineral block so there is no calcium problem. Also, this is her second clutch in a year.

And... I look in the nestbox every 2 hours or so. Also, I feel the area infront of her vent and I felt an egg and the next day, she laid egg but when I checked it yesterday, I didn't feel an egg there. So, am I disturbing them from laying their eggs??

Answer 1

Now you are probably not disturbing them, if she lets you handle her and look in there they are obviously comfortable with your presence. Checking the vent was a good idea you obviously know what you are doing :)

I believe the secondary string of egg laying are just a hormonal response. they are probably not fertile. Some females are great at controlling their ovulation, others are not. I have 1 hen who could and another who always laid eggs (who never had a mate) and always got egg bound. the female is probably just hormonally charged and hasn't figured out that she can re-absorb the infertile eggs and not have to lay them.

I would keep giving them the diet you have it seems to be working well for them, but if the eggs do not hatch get them out of there. You may want to retrieve them either way, more babies could stress them and cause either death to some or all of the babies. It can also stress the parents into exhaustion and that could impair their health and the ability to wean their young.

Bytheway it is soo common for the dad to do most of the feeding, male tiels are excellent fathers they end up doing most of the work. In my experience this has always been the case.

i would let them do what they do and if you can remove the egg if it doesn't hatch. the normal incubation period is between 17 and 24 days so after 51 days..remove the egg, it isn't fertile.

good luck,
congrats onn the babies making it this far...they should be weaned 2-3 months after hatching...usually 2...late bloomers will still beg until age 3-5 months, but they are usually weaned and just lazy :)

Answer 2

I agree with most of what the first poster wrote, but I wonder why you are feeding boiled rice. If you are using white rice from the store, this is little more than starch and not good food for making healthy babies. Brown rice is better, but still not great as a major part of the diet. Better to feed a good pelleted diet at best, a seed diet if you have to. Suppplement with greens and vegetables, and a very small amount of fruits. Prior to and during breeding season supplement also with mashed hard boiled eggs and the shells for additional calcium.

Also, don't worry so much. If the pair is used to your looking in the nest every two hours, it may not bother them, but if the pair is skittish you could put them off the nest. "A watched pot never boils." Looking in so much does nothing to hurry anything up and just encourages you to worry more. Checking once a day tells you all you really need to know.

The single egg could very much be fertile. If she is sitting it, you can candle the egg after a few days to look for the developing blood vessels. Also it is not uncommon for a hen to skip laying an egg or two and then go on to lay more later. And on ocassion they may lay only one egg, espcially hard on the heels of the previous clutch. I'd step up the protein and calcium by offering the mashed hard boiled eggs and see how it goes. It will be fine. You'll see.

Answer 3

Tiels will lay eggs inspite of if theres no mate . enable her lay the eggs and sit with them she will quickly study tha they gained't hatch and leve them on my own and not in any respect lay back for a good wile if in any respect . in case you shop eliminating the eggs she will merely attempt to change them with assistance from laying extra eggs. maximum will lay as a lot as 6 or extra eggs at a time then sit them . be constructive she has a great number of calaium sourses to change the loss via laying eggs