Why isn't my cockatiel laying eggs? Is there a health issue?

Here is a excerpt from a cockatiel breeding page: To breed successfully however, cockatiels require five breeding prerequisites that include optimum nutrition, temperature and humidity, extended photo-light (daylight) hours, an adequate nesting site and an appropriate mate. From what you have stated, it would appear that the reason your cockatiels have not bred is probably due to insufficient daylight hours, which are needed to stimulate breeding hormone levels adequately. To emulate the breeding season, aviculturists allow their cockatiels to awake at daybreak but typically add a few extra hours of daylight by providing artificial light beyond dusk - for example until 9 or 10 p.m. These extra hours coincide with the natural breeding season, which ensures parent birds have the added time to seek out food and feed hungry chicks for a final good meal to last the night. Provide a nutritious conditioning/breeding diet consisting of a quality cockatiel mix, cockatiel pellets, cuttlebone, water, dark green leafy vegetables and other soft foods. Attach a cockatiel-size nest box outside of the cage to allow the forthcoming chicks the space they need when they finally fledge the nest and perch inside the cage. Although some pairs act as if their cage is a nest box, especially if it is covered a lot of the time, most cockatiels prefer a natural nest box in which to reproduce. The fact that you allowed your cockatiels freedom to fly outside the cage on a daily basis is important, because it allows them to build up stamina for the breeding season and it improves the hens muscle tone for important egg-laying muscles to successfully lay eggs and prevent egg-binding. Link provided: http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-breeders/bird-experts/linda-rubin/successful-cockatiel-breeding-advice.aspx

This is a complicated question with no simple fix. IT is possible even though they are having mating behavior they are actually both females. Also, the male might not be able to produce appropriate sperm to make fertile eggs. Typically the eggs need certain temperatures and care to grow live birds too. I would recommend taking them to a vet for a good exam and proper sexing. hope that helps

If your are unsure of your bird's genders you can have them tested at your local vet (blood test) to determine if you have a male and female or two males/females. Same-sex birds can attempt to mate with each other, especially if it is mating season for them. If one of the birds seems stressed out by this, then separating the two for a period of time is best to avoid increasing stress or causing injury to one of the birds. If you are interested in breeding your birds and have a male and female, adding in more protein and calcium to their diet, as well as increasing the amount of daylight they get may help encourage egg laying and raising a clutch.

There are ways to determine a cockatiel's gender. The link below outlines several. https://www.cockatiel.com/malefemale.html The definitive method to determine gender is to have them sexed via DNA testing. This is done using blood or feather samples. Male cockatiels do not lay eggs. Female cockatiels may lay eggs even in the absence of a male. If you have 2 females, the eggs will be infertile and will not hatch. Fertilized eggs hatch after about 3 weeks of incubation. She may lay one egg every 24-48 hours until she has a clutch of up to 8 eggs. Do not remove any of the eggs. This will cause her to continue laying which can be dangerous. If you have a confirmed pair, I would suggest getting in touch with an experienced avian veterinarian or breeder to guide you if you plan on keeping the chicks.

Thanks for reaching out about Gacy. Having a male in the vicinity, vocal, can stimulate the female to lay eggs, so will be a risk. Check and correct diet, manipulation of photoperiod and hormone therapy can help females to stop laying eggs. Also, is possible to spay birds but is more risky than spaying a dog or a cat. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Tinku. They can double clutch, especially when young. Any stress can also delay egg production. Maintain a good diet, as a calcium source is needed to replace the calcium lost in egg production. Good luck.

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear that LemonBerry has been chronically egg laying. When cockatiels get into egg laying cycles, it can be difficult to stop without medical intervention. It can also lead to secondary problems such as depleted calcium stores. I worry this may be occurring with her weakness. I'd recommend getting LemonBerry in to see a veterinarian that treats birds. Sometimes medication or surgery is needed to solve this problem. In the mean time, I would make sure that she is eating a formulated pellet diet and has access to calcium chews like a cuttlebone. I would also recommend continuous bright light exposure for a few days to try to reset her circadian rhythm. I do like this article written by a veterinarian: https://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/chronic-egg-laying-what-you-can-do/ I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach. Best of luck to you and LemonBerry.