Ask Lafeber

How to tell if eggs are infertile?

I got my 2 year old female cockatiel from an owner exactly 20 days ago, and she’s started laying eggs today.

She was originally kept in a cage with two other cockatiels, one definitely a male and the other a female. The people I got her off said they thought the other two cockatiels were bonded, but weren’t entirely sure because neither were experienced bird owners.

Would it be likely, or even possible, that these eggs are fertile? And how would I be able to tell?

Hi Shelby,

The eggs are not likely to be fertile. It’s not known for sure how long a female can store the sperm, but it’s probably more like a week or two at the most. Also, she would have a very hard time trying to incubate eggs and raise chicks without a male. The male and female take turns sitting on the eggs and caring for the chicks. It’s best to discard these eggs and try to discourage more egg laying. Even if you plan to get her a mate, she needs to rest for about 6 months before laying eggs again. It’s important that you make some changes to discourage more egg laying now. Some hens can get stuck in an egg laying cycle and in that case, you have to take her to a Vet for hormone treatment.

There are changes you can make to discourage egg laying. Never give her a nest, box, bird tent or hut or anything she can sit in. If there is not a grate on the cage floor, remove any cage bedding or paper and just leave the tray bare – you will just have to clean it daily. Do not give her anything she can shred like paper or cardboard, and no bedding on the cage tray unless the cage has the metal floor grate. If she tries to sit in a food dish, take the dish away, and replace it with smaller cups. Limit her light to 8-10 hours by covering her cage early each evening. Rearrange the toys in her cage, and move her cage to another place in the room. You may have to move the cage every week to keep her from settling down and laying more eggs. When you handle her, only pet her head – if you pet her on the body this can trigger her hormones and egg laying. When she is out, do not let her get into dark cozy places. It is very important that you make these changes. In the wild, cockatiels only lay eggs once a year, and then the seasons change and they stop until the next year. In captivity, they do not get the environmental signals, so they can get stuck in an egg laying cycle. It is hard on her health and as I mentioned, if you don’t make changes to stop her, or take her to the vet for hormone treatment, she will eventually die from laying too many eggs.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda