Chronic Egg Laying in Cockatiels

I had a question from a reader today who asked me some questions on how to break down pairs that have been setup for breeding to ensure there is no aggression or chronic egg laying. I will base this article on what I have experienced in my aviary.

Chronic Egglaying:

I see alot of questions on the internet on chronic egg-laying and yet I have not experienced any of my (over 100) cockatiels have chronic egg laying. I conversed with a fellow breeder who never experiences it either. Maybe our positive experiences can help out breeders who do have egg layers.

First, I believe some of my success in keeping hens from laying is that I offer a community flight. My community flight has mostly hens and a few cocks. Hens are allowed free flight and there is nothing to hide in. Sometimes I think that the smaller cages (less than 6') holding cages causes hens to begin to nest. Maybe its the lack of a suitable nesting spot and the competition of the larger flights that causes them not to chronically lay. I occasionally will notice a hen who is persistantly on the ground. I can almost guarantee that an egg is sure to appear one day on the bottom of my aviary. When it does, I take the egg and move it to a safe place so that the hen can sit on it. Usually she doesn't and ends up playing around with the egg for a few days before she deserts it. This happens in almost all cases and normally her egg laying will stop with a few eggs. If the hen is really nesting, I can consider two things. I can take her eggs and substitute them for fake eggs (or non fertile eggs that I often keep from my breeding pairs). I don't want babies hatching on the floor for obvious reasons. I can also consider, if they are infertile, letting her sit on the eggs until she tires of them. Either way works well.

The classical belief of stopping chronic egglaying is to decrease the amount of sunlight. I often propose this to pet owners as they normally don't have flocking birds. I tell them not to remove the eggs and to let them sit. If there is a cock in the cage, considerations must be made as to the compatibility of the pair and whether the pet owner truely wants to become a "breeder". I oftentimes will educate pet owners of the responsibilities of taking care of the breeding pair and their babies. Handfeeding babies result in cancelling of trips or revising them to travel with birds. Late nights are no longer an option as well as day trips. You must wake up early to feed the young ones and the parents must be fed a complete diet to help the chicks along. Breeding can be rewarding but it can also be heart-breaking. Cockatiels do not know that they are supposed to act as us humans want them to. Instinctually they will abandon nests, kill babies, and cull younger babies that they feel are not needed. This is the reality of the "survival of the fittest" instincts that have made birds one of the oldest creatures on this earth.

Other items that can help take a hen out of chronic laying (or re-nesting) are:

• removal of mate
• removal of anything they can nest near or around
• pulling down the amount of light
• removing anything that they can preen upon
• rearranging cage or moving them to an alternate cage

If your bird still won't stop laying eggs, a trip to the veterinarian is needed. Make sure cuttlebone or mineral block is available at all times. Chronic egg-laying takes a tole on a cockatiels system. It needs to be dealt with as a medical problem if they lay more than three clutches with no breaks. In first-timers, I would consider more than six eggs a chronic layer. Keep a watch of the hens and make sure that they are done laying (a quick look at the vent area will tell you). If its bulging, there is another egg (or two or three) left. Eggs can back up in your hens and this can be lethal for your bird. Vet care by a qualified avian veterinarian is the only option at this point.

Next article: Mate aggression before and after clutching.