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In Our Opinion... Breeding Cockatiels
Getting a Mated Pair
Raising cockatiels can be a frustrating, thrilling, rewarding and devastating endeavor. After breeding cockatiels for the last eight years, I'm hoping that a new breeder can benefit from my experiences and mistakes. First, you must have a mated pair (male & female). You can not assume that a bonded pair is male and female...occasionally two of the same sex will bond. Matching several young birds If you're planning on setting up several pairs and you're starting with all young birds, I recommend putting them all in a large cage (this is after they've gone through their quarantine period) and let them choose their own mates. I did this with about ten birds, having no idea what sex they were and got lucky, from the ten birds I got four pairs. Usually, they know if they're going to like each other within the first couple of days, some within the first couple of minutes, and I've had some that it's taken weeks or even months. But they are bonding for life. You can tell they've paired by making the following observations: They preen each other
Purchasing a proven pair A proven pair is considered to be two birds which have produced live offspring between them. Keep in mind that just because these birds produced for their previous owners, does not guarantee that they will produce for you. You've got a 90% chance or success, but there is always the possibility something may not be to their liking. Purchasing male and female and hoping for the best Putting two birds of the opposite sex in the same cage does not guarantee that they will mate. Cockatiels are very careful in their selection, they mate for life. Just because you've decided that you want a pair of birds to mate, does not guarantee that they will. Purchasing a proven bird that's lost it's mate Cockatiels are monogamous, when they lose a mate, they mourn. It may take weeks, months, years or they may never attach to a new mate. They must be given time to grieve and then gently introduced to a new bird. Two pet cockatiels that start to take an interest in each other Sometimes, two cockatiels that were bought to keep each other company at a young age, may turn out to be male and female and like each other. If you're interested in breeding, this is great, if you're not it may present a problem. Normally, cockatiels will not lay eggs unless they are in an environment that is conducive to breeding, i.e. nest box. They can and probably will breed, but they will not lay eggs. Some will, however, lay eggs and try to incubate them, etc. If
that is the case, you can either set them up as a breeding pair, or separate
them into two different cages.
What you'll need: *A cage conducive to breeding - Most serious breeders will find someone to build breeding cages for them. Welded wire cages are easier to attach boxes to and you don't mind cutting a hole in the side of the cage for the box, because it's easy to patch. These cages should be minimum 20 x 20 x 20, 24 x 24 x 24 is better. If you're only breeding a pair or two, a cage that is a large cage with a double door is best, about 30"L x 18"W x 36"H. You can put a box on the bottom door and use the top door to access the cage. *A nest box - cockatiel breeding boxes are sold in most pet stores, or available through the newspaper classifieds. I use pine shavings on the bottom of the nest box to absorb the droppings from the chicks and make it a little softer for everyone involved. *Several
sturdy perches - Perches are extremely important in the breeding process.
They must be sturdy and placed correctly. Dowel rods which are used
in most cages tend to be slick and the birds can slide off. We recommend
natural branch perches, they provide many great benefits for the birds.
They give them tactile stimulation (the bark has a different texture),
different gripping diameters (most natural
branch perches vary in diameters, even on the same perch), and provide
minerals as they chew them apart. All
in all, they allow the birds a more natural environment. Placing
several 1/2 branch perches and full branch perches around the cage allows the birds a choice of
where they which one feels the best.
All birds need a balanced diet whether they're breeding or not. Your birds should always be on a good diet, which makes them stronger and healthier and better able to produce healthy offspring. Keeping a bird on a seed diet and then deciding to feed them better while they're breeding may be too little, too late. Remember nutrition in birds is for life, not for the breeding cycle. Your birds life span is greatly dependent on what you feed them. Please refer to our article on avian nutrition. Now, you've got the birds, the cage, the box and your ready to get started. This is the mating process that I've witnessed year after year, pair after pair (but keep in mind there are always exceptions to every rule). It's the male's duty to prepare the nest box. He will go inside, move around the pine shaving, then he'll chew on the nest box hole. He'll work on this diligently for about a week. Then and only then will he allow the female to enter. She'll go inside, and decide if it's up to her specifications. If both are in agreement, by the end of the second week the egg laying process will begin. It is important that the hole be large enough, but areas exposed for the bird to chew on as this is part of the mating process and is common in all birds. Usually, they don't start incubating the eggs until after the third egg is laid. Don't panic if they don't start sitting on them immediately. One fertilized egg will stay alive at room temperature for ten days as long as the incubation process has not begun. Both male and female cockatiels take turns brooding the clutch of eggs,
one sits half of the day, the other sits the other half of the day.
The eggs usually hatch in 18 - 21 days. All chicks are born with white down on them. Their eyes open in about 10 days. Those chicks with red eyes are probably going to be Lutino...all other's will have dark eyes. Even if you plan to hand feed, I recommend leaving the chicks with their
parents until they're at least 2 1/2 to 3 weeks old. This allows
them a healthy start and makes them less inclined to having crop problems.
We value your opinions on our "In Our Opinion" articles. Please
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or questions.
Copyright 1997, R. G. Ryan, All rights reserved. Reprinting without permission is prohibited.
This page last updated: Thursday July 05, 2007 Don't forget toys for your birds at: Just Plain Toys or look for additional perches at: Natural Branch Perches (remember birds get minerals from the wood they chew up) Build your own toys? Check out - Raw Materials. This page was last updated Thursday July 05, 2007
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