Ask Lafeber

Question:

February 27, 2023

15 year old Cockatiel laying eggs. Male is at least 30 years old


Is this dangerous. Is it possible the eggs are fertile. It’s just been a few days but shes already laid two eggs.


Answer:

Hi Wanda,

It’s hard to know what the outcome might be. I would be concerned about this being too stressful for both birds. Your male is definitely a senior – at 30 he is approaching the maximum known lifespan of cockatiels. I believe the oldest recorded was 36 or 38, and we know of a 36 year old in the UK who has lived with the same owner. That being said, the average life span these days is more like 10-12 years due to inbreeding. The older known mutations tend to live longer. The normal greys are the ones who tend to live into their late 20’s – early 30’s. It comes down to genetics and care. You clearly have the care part down for you to have a 30 year old! At 15, your hen could be very elderly or middle aged – again, it depends on genetics, especially her color.

Does the pair have a nest box or did she just start laying eggs on the cage floor? If there is not a nest box, then I would be inclined to take the eggs away, unless there is a metal grate on the bottom of the cage. She can’t keep the eggs warm enough to develop if the eggs are on an open grate. If there is a nest box, they probably shouldn’t have one at their ages – mainly because of the male. Laying eggs is very hard on the female, but then once they start to incubate them, the male and female take turns with one sitting during the day and one at night. Plus the male tends to guard the box when he isn’t sitting. So he has a hard job. I think it is risky for the birds to try to raise a family at this age, and I’m not sure if the eggs would even be fertile, or if his advanced age would affect the health of the chicks if any hatch.

If you decide to let them follow through, you need to start feeding them an egg food now – cooked eggs with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the eggs, or you can buy a commercial dry egg food. This can help replace the protein and calcium she loses to the eggs, and it’s also good for them and for the chicks. Also offer leafy greens and some chopped veggies.

Whatever you decide, if they do have a nest box, go ahead and take that away either when you remove the eggs if that’s your decision, or if the eggs do not hatch, or once any chicks leave the box. It’s not rare for an older bird to lay eggs, but for her sake, it’s best if she doesn’t keep laying eggs. And there is also a solution to that in the form of changes you can make.

You need to do all of these things to discourage egg laying. Keep in mind that to lay eggs, she needs longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. Your 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 handle her, limit any petting to only her head and neck – do not pet her 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.

If she starts a new clutch after these eggs,  in spite of you making changes, then you may need to look into getting her a hormone implant by an Avian Vet.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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