October 3, 2023
Mating
I Have 2 female cockatiels and ons male and only the one lays eggs buts stop feeding then after a week and sometimes the babys are killed.Can the other female be jealous?
Question:
Answer:
Hi,
Yes, the problem is the extra bird in the cage. Whether you are breeding or not, it is never a good idea to have an odd number of birds in one cage. Even if they are all the same sex, they tend to pair off and the odd bird gets left out and is usually picked on. For breeding, you absolutely can’t have more than one pair in a cage. They instinctively want to pass on their own genes, and breeding birds are very territorial. Females can be especially territorial and not allow other birds to raise chicks. They will raid each other’s nests and destroy eggs or kill the chicks. You need to remove the extra female. You also need to take the nest box down, and rest the pair for 6 months. It’s not good for a pair to be allowed to breed over and over again without a rest. And this has been stressful for the female because her chicks have been killed and she has felt forced to abandon her chicks because of the other bird. Parents will also abandon or kill their own chicks if they feel too threatened. Either find a mate or a new home for the other female, and do not have her near the pair. In 6 months, you can return the nest box and see if the pair does better this time. Without the other female in the cage or where they can see her, they are likely to raise the chicks. If they do not, then I would not try to breed the pair again. Some pairs simply do not make good parents. However, the main issue is the rival female. But, depending on how many losses the pair has had, they may now have the habit of not raising the chicks past a certain point, so they could be ruined as breeders. You can’t know until you let them rest and recover, and then try again.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
