We recently brought a pair of cocktail which had already laid eggs in the shop after we brought it home we checked the eggs after 15days they had laid 4 eggs but all the 4 eggs where infertile what was the cause?? What should we do to prevent this
Hi,
There can be many reasons for eggs to be infertile. The birds might not be old enough, they might not be truly bonded, they may not have incubated the eggs properly, one or both birds might have a problem, they may not have proper nutrition and the list can go on. For breeding, Cockatiels should be at least 2 years old. You should be feeding them a nutritionally balanced food like pellets, as well as leafy greens, veggies and some fruit. When you hang the nest box, they need an egg food daily. This can be a commercial food or cooked egg with the shell washed crushed and cooked with the egg. The nest box should be hung on the outside of the cage as high as possible. You do not leave the nest box up year round. It should be removed and the pair rested for 6 months after each clutch of eggs, whether they hatch or not. So right now, you should not have the nest box up since they just had eggs. And you really have no way of knowing how many clutches of eggs these birds may have already laid. They may be exhausted and laying eggs too often is another cause of infertility. I would rest the pair for 6 months before you give them the nest box again. Get them on a good diet, rest them, and when you hang the nest box again, make sure they are in a quiet area and have plenty of privacy.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
