Hello, i have 2 female cockatiels ( one of them was supposed to be a male, but she started laying eggs). She has laid till now 5 eggs (which of course will be infertile since she did not mate with a male). My question is, after laying these eggs when can she mate for being able to lay eggs again?
Hi,
A female does not have to mate in order to lay eggs. And mating does not have to result in eggs. A female lays eggs when conditions are right for nesting and her hormones get triggered. It’s not healthy for a non-breeding hen to lay eggs. It takes a lot out of her to form each egg and lay it. I would recommend making some changes to discourage more egg laying. If she keeps laying eggs anyway, you need to consult with an Avian Vet to see about hormone shots or the implant to stop her from laying. A female cockatiel will lay eggs until it kills her if you do not intervene. This doesn’t happen in the wild because of seasonal changes which signal the end of breeding season.
Keep in mind that to lay eggs, she needs longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. The goal is to reverse these conditions.
Limit her light to 8-10 hours by covering the cage early each evening
Do not give her anything to use as a nest – no bird huts or tents, no box, bowl, etc. If she decides to sit in a food bowl, remove it and replace with smaller cups.
Do not give her anything to shred such as paper or cardboard.
Rearrange the toys in the cage frequently.
Move the cage to a different place in the room. Move the cage about once a week, or whenever she shows signs of nesting – settling on the cage floor for example. This disrupts her idea of having a stable place to lay eggs and raise chicks.
If you feed a lot of fresh foods, stop offering any for a couple of weeks, and then only offer them in small amounts about 2 or 3 times a week. You can resume normal feeding later when the birds aren’t being hormonal.
If she is let out of the cage, do not let her get in any dark cozy places and don’t give her free roam. When you let them roam around, this mimics searching for a nesting site.
When you handle her, limit any petting to only the head and neck – do not pet a bird on the body. Only a bonded mate is allowed to groom the body. We can’t be a mate, so touching the body is off limits.
If there is no metal floor grate, then do not use any bedding or paper in the cage tray – leave it bare and clean it daily.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
