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Question:

September 5, 2019

Cockatiel with eggs but not fertile


I have 2 cockatiels male and female i took them to the doctor and he said they were male and female just looking at them not DNA. I did took them because them female layed 3 eggs but they were not fertile after i took them to the doctor i took the eggs out than she layed 3 more eggs and they look that they are not fertile either male is about 2y old and female 1.5y old. Is my male not matting with female? Anything to do to help the male?


Answer:

Hi Ricardo,

I would go ahead and remove the nest box and let the female rest and get about 6 months older. It is better to begin breeding a female cockatiel when she is 2 years old. She may be able to lay eggs now, but she is still a bit immature and she is more likely to lay fertile eggs and care for the eggs and chocks properly if you let her get a bit older. The male may not be mating with her because she is not fully mature. You need to watch for any signs of fighting because if one bird is ready to mate and the other is not, there can be aggression and fighting.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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