Hi,
Cockatiels should not be paired until they are at least two years old. Unfortunately you let them be together and gave them a nest box at too young of an age. You are also giving in to the birds just because they scream. You need to remove the nest box, and you may need to separate the pair. If she continues to lay eggs, she is going to die soon. You need to make changes to discourage more egg laying, or you will need to take her to an avian vet for a hormone implant or hormone shots.
You should not consider letting them breed until she has had a long rest and until both birds are over 2 years old. Unless you see them mating at that time, do not give them a nest box. You should also not try to breed them unless you are willing to control how often they breed, and that means removing the box after every clutch and resting the pair for at least 6 months, regardless of how much they scream or act up. In the wild, they only breed one time each year, and then the season changes signaling the end of breeding season. In captivity they do not get this signal, so it is your responsibility to control breeding, or they will literally breed until it kills the hen.
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. In the wild, they get signals from nature to end breeding season, but in captivity, if ideal conditions continue to be provided, a hen will literally lay eggs until it kills her. In the wild they only breed once a year, and typically only raise one clutch per year.
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 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.
If the hen doesn’t stop laying, and continues to lay clutch after clutch, then a hormone implant or shots should be considered. The implant is proving to be very effective with most chronic egg layers.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
