Hi David,
If you plan to keep breeding them, then you need to only have one pair per cage. Cockatiels and any breeding parrot can be very territorial. In the wild, even when they stay in flocks, each breeding pair has a territory and other flock members know to stay away. When captive pairs are kept together, there can be a lot of complications. While many breeders for profit might have their breeders in colonies, what they do not tell you is how many eggs or chicks they end up losing as well as the fact that they have no way of knowing who mated with who or if any related birds are breeding – something that should never be done. Yes, even bonded pairs will stray, with a male mating with all of the females or even a female who makes the rounds. Nest raiding is a real threat – a jealous pair may enter the other pair’s box and destroy any eggs or chicks they find. This is their way of keeping their genes dominant and getting rid of any rival offspring. Sometimes two males will take up with one female, which tends to end up with fighting, and sometimes a male will even bar the female from getting back into the nest box to her eggs or chicks! Yes, there can be exceptions, but more often it ends badly. Now because the pairs do need to be rested between clutches, a larger communal cage is a good way to do this, of course with nothing they can use as a nest, and if you observe a hen brooding – sitting in a food bowl or bottom corner of the cage wanting to nest, then you need to stop that behavior by moving the bowls around and rearranging things in the cage. Cockatiels will breed when they have warmer weather, longer days, abundant food and a safe, private place for a nest. So by reversing these conditions, they are not as likely to try to nest again until you are ready for them to do so.
I hope this helps!
Brenda
