Ask Lafeber

Birds laying no eggs cockatiel

Why isn’t my cockatiel laying no eggs ever had her bout 2 years or more n she was adult then now I believe she had eggs ready to lay but she passed away instead laying she was in a roosting position n there were all over each other n the male n female became protective of the cage for those three weird days I believe maybe she had no where she felt she has no wheee to lay shd was hanging on bottom of cage to I notice coujj lol d she had been holding clutching onto her eggs would or could it have died from that my cinnamon peach face cockatiel please I need advice n male now it just sleeping all today n looks like he really lost his wife n kids he looks so sad I scared he will go from a broken heart ? ? ?

Hi Kimmy,

She may have been egg bound, which is when she can’t lay an egg for some reason, so she dies because it is stuck inside her. There are many reasons, but the most common is not enough calcium or other nutrition. A breeding hen needs to be fed a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets – a seed mix does not provide the nutrition she needs. She also needs to be fed extra protein and calcium – usually cooked eggs can provide this. If she was only eating seed, then the egg may not have been formed right and she died because she couldn’t lay it. Or she could have been sick in some other way. When a bird acts sick or starts staying on the cage floor, it’s best to take it to a Vet to see what is wrong with it. The male will grieve, but he will be fine and would likely accept another mate one day.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda