Egg binding is a condition where the eggs become stuck in the cloaca. This may lead to an infection and even death.
Overweight. Being overweight increases the chances of infertility in both sexes and egg binding in the female. If you are not sure if a cockatiel is overweight, try to feel your bird’s keel or breastbone. If you cannot feel the breastbone, then it is overweight. Underweight. Being underweight may indicate that your bird has a disease or that one bird is guarding the food dish and preventing the other from eating. Find out what is causing your bird to be underweight before you start breeding your cockatiels.
cockatiel seed mix soft foods such as greens, pasta, cooked rice, cooked beans, moist wheat bread sprouted seeds cuttlebone or mineral blocks for calcium supplements (to sprinkle over other foods) such as spirulina, Echinacea, and Prozyme fresh, clean water (change it a couple of times per day)
Place the cage in a quiet part of your home to give the couple the privacy and quiet they will need to breed, brood, hatch and raise their young.
Material. There are many types of nest boxes available including metal, plastic and wooden ones. Wood is a good choice because cockatiels will chew on the entrance to customize it to their specifications. [6] X Research source Size. A one foot by one foot box is sufficient for breeding cockatiels. Rear access door. Some nesting boxes come with a rear access door so that you can check on the chicks without disturbing the hen. Bedding. Cockatiel parents will use bedding to make a cozy and safe nest for the chicks. The best materials for nesting are low dust pine shavings or uncolored paper materials like newspaper or plain white paper towels. [7] X Research source Do not use cedar shavings because the oils in this material can kill or injure the chicks.
Mating may take up to a minute and then the male will fly away. The female cockatiel should lay her eggs about two weeks after mating.
Hatching takes about three weeks, but she will lay eggs for about a week before she is ready to incubate them. She will lay an egg about once every 48 hours until she has laid a clutch of about two to eight eggs. [10] X Research source The male cockatiel will provide food for the female cockatiel while she broods the eggs. [11] X Research source
Cockatiels will not begin the weaning process (eating without the help of a parent) until they are about eight to 10 weeks old. At this point, you may want to separate male and female chicks from each other to prevent breeding. Brothers and sisters may pair up and mate if the conditions are right, so it is best to separate male chicks from female chicks to prevent unwanted babies.
Decrease light. Providing a little less light per day will discourage breeding. For example, you can reduce the amount of light that your cockatiels receive from 10-12 hours to about eight hours per day. This will simulate winter conditions and make it less likely that your cockatiels will mate. Remove the nest box. Once your cockatiels have finished using the nest box to brood and raise their chicks, you can remove the nest box from the cage. Eliminate soft foods. Do not feed your birds any soft foods, such as pasta, beans, and moist bread. However, make sure that you are still giving your birds plenty of nutritious food. [12] X Research source
