BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT

Question: I have three pair of cockatiels and am having trouble getting fertile eggs from some these birds, which I purchased in Nov. 1994. Their diet consists of "Brook's Cockatiel Mix", Pretty Bird Pellets, fruit, veggies, beans, corn, whole wheat bread, supplemented with a vitamin mineral, protein powder every other day. They are under full-spectrum lighting for 14 hours a day. This spring I had 2 clutches from one pair (4 eggs and 3 eggs) and one clutch from another(6 eggs), but no fertile eggs. These birds were rested from January to July. One pair doesn't seem to incubate well, while the other is great. I haven't put up a nest box on my youngest pair,18 months old in March 96. I am going to sell the hen that doesn't incubate well, as she turned out to be very small and I am seriously considering showing several of my birds this year. Any help would be welcome at this point. L.B. IL

Answer: Successfully breeding cockatiels is an endeavor where the rules or procedures are often not the same for each pair of birds or aviary. There are many items to be considered when breeding cockatiels that can influence success, whether the birds are proven breeders or young birds, some of these are: diet, lighting, traffic through breeding area, temperature, nest box, lining of nest, cocks that are immature, allowing sufficient time for new birds to get used to the new surroundings, big birds in the house, even the size of the hole in a nest can influence success, among many others. Four of the most common problems I have found are: big birds in the house(noise), some individuals think all birds get along together, but this is not the case with cockatiels. Most cockatiels are high strung, flighty birds, that spook easily and can be intimidated by larger, noisier birds such as macaws, parrots, conures and other birds that scream. When placed in an area near these larger birds the cockatiel will often produce eggs, but they often are not fertile or the parents don't incubate the eggs.

Immature cockatiels or maybe I should say late bloomers, are often the problem although many don't realize it. It most often occurs in the male, although occasionally in the female. Most breeders put their birds up to nest between the ages of one to two years of age, thinking they will always have success and most do.

The one's who don't have success usually blame the individual that sold them birds, with a breeding problem. Often this is not the case as some birds take longer to sexually mature then others. The oldest one I have found to date is a cock I purchased in 1992 that didn't produce fertile eggs until he was three years of age. At two years of age I had the bird sexed as I knew the problem does exist and was told the cock was close to being mature, but not quite. He produced this year.

Nest boxes are another common problem with breeding. The nest boxes sold to most first time breeders are usually too small with a hole a full grown cockatiel can't go through. The ideal or most successfully used nest box will be 12"X12"X12" with a large hole, mine have a 3 ½ hole, with several inches of either pine or cedar shavings, with the latter possibly reducing pest or bacteria problems.

I believe the number one cause is not allowing sufficient time for a bird to get used to its new surroundings. Many people think you can take a bird home and expect it to breed, this is not the case.

I have seen birds take years to acclimate them selves to new surroundings and this could be a possibility in your case, but you should look at all possible problem areas.

As you can see there is no true method to success in breeding and these same problems occur whether you breed finches, cockatiels or macaws. If you are having problems you must look at all possible causes and rule them out one at a time. One of the most helpful things you can do, is invite someone who is successful breeding cockatiels in your area over to your house to look at your breeding environment and give you pointers on possible causes for your lack of success.You'll often be surprised what the cause is.

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