I have a pair of cockatiels about 3 years of age. I've had them since they were very, very young. They are tamed, and I know for sure that one is male, the other is female.
The female is a couple months younger, and is Lutino.
The male is a normal grey.
I have a nest box set up for them and everything, when I open it, they mate for about a week, lots of times a day, and lay a clutch of eggs. But they are NEVER fertile.
I let my female lay 2-3 clutches a year, and over the past 2 and a half years, TWO chicks have ever hatched [out of a clutch of three, around christmas time] Unfortunately, due to first-time parenting, they weren't able to properly care for their young.
Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions? I've already asked my vet and he wouldn't give me a straight answer. Maybe there's something I can do?
2007-05-29 14:32:37 · 5 answers · asked by x00sarin00x 1 in Pets ➔ Birds
First of all, they were too young to be breeding until now.
Next, why do you want to breed them?
Is it to better the breed or because you think they need to?
Cockatiels can live long happy lives without having chicks, it is not needed.
Don't give them the nest back until this time next year. Give her system time to replace lost nutrients and to finish maturing.
Get them on a good breeding diet, not just seeds, and join the North American Cockatiel Society http://www.cockatiel.org There is a lot of good information there.
What are you planning on doing with 2-6 chicks afterwards? Are you going to find them good homes or keep them? Do you have time to handle the chicks daily to make sure they are tame?
Also, LEARN TO HANDFEED FROM A VET OR BREEDER, that way no more chicks have to die because your pair aren't feeding. This is imparative! If they don't care for the chicks, YOU NEED TO, it is your choice to let them breed, take care of the chicks.
Cockatiels and budgies fill the rescues since they are so easy to breed, please think about this carefully before you allow them to breed again.
2007-05-29 16:07:47 · answer #1 · answered by Christie D 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There might not be anything you can do. I clipped the feathers close around my pairs vents so that they would get a good connection and that helped.
It could be that the male is not fertile enough.
I would not let them have but two clutches of eggs a year. This could be dangerous to the females health. Laying the eggs will deplete her body of calcium.
Sorry I could not be more help but the reason you didn't get a straight answer from the vet is because there isn't a good answer.It sounds like they are doing what they are suppose to be doing.
Maybe it will happen. If not then it is not ment to be.
2007-05-30 00:29:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could try clipping the feathers around the vent area of both birds, to make it easier for the sperm to get into the hen when they mate. It could be that the sperm just aren't getting through the feathers.
2007-05-30 00:09:19 · answer #3 · answered by The First Dragon 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps it's because you shouldn't be breeding the pair. Genetics might be to close together and this pair might be to related to be bred.
Please rethink what you are doing, enough birds go into rescues to have more birds going into them.
DIET, DIET, DIET.
2007-05-31 20:10:57 · answer #4 · answered by humor4fms 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe your male shoots blanks
2007-05-30 00:56:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋