Cockatiel Breeding
Are You Thinking About Cockatiel Breeding?
Cockatiel breeding is a great responsibility, and if you aren’t financially, physically, and mentally up to the responsibility, you may want to wait until all three aspects line up before pursuing this adventure. A healthy cockatiel breeding pair should be well established together and have a good relationship with one another, so simply placing a male and a female in the same cage and waiting for babies is not an option. There are many aspects to the success of this event, and for the birds’ safety, you should be armed with all of the information and tools necessary to help and to nurture both the adults and the little ones. Cockatiels are born naked, blind, and helpless, and you will need to monitor every stage in order to keep them alive and healthy.
The first order of business with cockatiel breeding is to watch closely for signs of extreme aggression during the mating and the nesting periods. The better part of the time, your female may lose a few feathers from the back of her head and neck during mating, and they may scuffle a bit until the season has passed. This is normal, and should not be interfered with. Should your male show signs of anger, and you find that he is constantly picking at and attacking her, you may need to intervene and remove him from the aviary. He may keep her from eating, and he may block her entrance to the nesting box where the eggs are laid. She has about eight days from the time that her eggs are laid to begin the incubation period, otherwise the clutch is lost.
This behavior is most likely attributed to jealousy and the male drive to fornicate, and he realizes that she will not be receptive to his advances once she has begun setting her eggs. Under normal circumstances, your male will go about his merry way and take on a rather large roll in the feeding and caring for the hatchlings once the incubation has commenced. If he has shown aggression during the previous stages of cockatiel breeding, however, you will need to watch closely for signs of aggression toward the helpless hatchlings. He is not necessary to their survival, so if there is any doubt, take him out and leave the mother to her duties.
It is also normal for the female to refuse a nesting box, and it can be difficult for her eggs to develop properly from the cage floor. Try using a swig of millet at the entrance of her nesting box to encourage her to use it. If this doesn’t work, fashion a basket nest at the floor where her eggs are laid, cushioning it with a few layers of white paper towel. Remember that she will need extra protein and calcium during this arduous time, so offer plenty of cuddle bone and green leafy vegetables.