Hi Cindy,
It’s not recommended to try to hatch cockatiels in an incubator. Mainly because they are nearly impossible to hand feed from day one, and almost always die, even with the most experienced hand feeders. I’m not trying to be negative, but this is just what generally happens. They tend to do OK for a few days, and then start dying one by one. So be prepared if any do hatch, and if you do try to hand feed them.
It would be much better to either not let this pair breed again, or let them learn. Are you resting your pair for 6 months in between clutches? You can’t let them lay clutch after clutch after clutch. They should only be allowed to lay two clutches per year. The nest box should be removed after each clutch, and not be returned for 6 months. If yours have had more than one clutch without a rest, then they are being over bred, and this can cause a pair not to sit on the eggs. They also need a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets – seeds are not enough. They need greens, veggies and fruit as well as an egg food while they have the nest box. They also need a lot of privacy. If people are around them, they are not going to sit on their eggs.
As for what to do about the egg that is peeping, I’m not sure. I do know the roller can kill them if they hatch while in it. But I don’t know when to pull the egg. I honestly don’t know anyone who artificially incubates cockatiel eggs. It’s something usually reserved for rare species because there are so many things that can go wrong. Artificially incubated parrot species often do not develop properly due to the incubator as well as not having the parents feed them to get them started out. I hope it works out for you.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
