cockatiel egg laying./ Please Help!

[SimplyBirdLover]

My cockatiel Macleay has laid an egg and I’m worried about her. Let me back track a bit.
Macleay, my female cockatiel laid a clutch of second eggs starting on 6/23/18 and ending on 7/8/18
I wasn’t ecpecting it at all but, let her do what she needed to do with the eggs. She is an amazing “sitter” and so is the dad.
Anyways, long story short only one of the eggs actually hatched and she/he is now 4 1/2 weeks old.
Well, when I uncovered them this morning I went to get the baby out of the neat box so I could give her the routine little “vet check” that I do to all of my birds and I noticed an egg.
From what I understand, cockatiels can safely lay 2 clutches of eggs per year.
This would of course be her second clutch.
But what i would like to know is if she will be alright? It seems awfully close together to me. And I’m worried about issues such as egg binding.
I would also like to know if there is any way I can separate them at this point? I know it sounds cruel and I would really hate to do it but, I can’t keep allowing her to lay eggs every year. It will be really hard for me to personally sell the babies because I’m a very “soft” person.
Please help with any information what so ever! Anything is appreciated.
Also, would should I do about the best box situation?? Since she wants in there to sit on her egg and so does the baby I’m not sure what to do.
Thank you in advance everyone!!

 

[itzjbean]

No need to separate the couple.... just throw the eggs away or boil/freeze them and put them back into the cage so there's no worry of them hatching.

Just because a pair is bonded and mates, doesn't mean they have to have babies! They may lay eggs but they have to be incubated. Take out the nest box (if you have one in there) and there should be a decrease in laying.

Yes it's recommended no more than 2 clutches a year, normally there's an in between rest period to give her body time to recuperate all those lost vitamins, minerals and calcium. Are you feeding her calcium, as in collard greens or a cuttlebone? It's very important to have this to keep her from becoming egg bound.

Decrease their hours of sunlight to 8-12 hours, no more than that. Taking out the nestbox should take away most of the instincts to nest.

 

[SimplyBirdLover]

I am unable to take out the nest box because she has a young baby that still stays in there for a lot of the day. I feel so bad killing the eggs if they are fertile. She has several cattle bones in the cage but refuses to eat any fruits or vegetables. (We are working on it).
I just don’t want her to have to keep going through the egg laying process. I feel bad even though it’s a natural thing, it has to be tiring.

 

[itzjbean]

I am unable to take out the nest box because she has a young baby that still stays in there for a lot of the day. I feel so bad killing the eggs if they are fertile. She has several cattle bones in the cage but refuses to eat any fruits or vegetables. (We are working on it).
I just don’t want her to have to keep going through the egg laying process. I feel bad even though it’s a natural thing, it has to be tiring.

It's okay to have the nestbox in there if she has a hatchling. If you think it is cruel to throw eggs away/dispose of them, she will just keep having baby after baby after baby until she literally exhausts herself to DEATH.

What is crueler.... letting the eggs all hatch and then having to watch them die because their mom has been exhausted and can't feed everyone and then you have to watch all her babies die because you don't know what to do to save them... THAT Is far crueler than tossing out this egg that has not even developed life yet. Just something to think about.

Yes, it's natural, but as responsible owners it is our job to keep our birds healthy, and if that means tossing out fertile eggs, then yes it's for the better of your birds. Too much stress and work (laying eggs, feeding babies) can and will kill them if you continue to let them lay constantly.

Once the babies she has are weaned, take out that nest box and don't put it back in.

 

[EllenD]

I agree...you need to allow the nestbox in until the baby is weaned and out of the nest box. Once this current baby is weaned, you need to get rid of the nestbox. And the new egg that you found needs to be either boiled or frozen overnight and then placed back in the nestbox, as do any other eggs she might lay. Basically the only reason you need to leave that nestbox in the cage is because of this current baby. Once that baby is gone and the mother gets bored with laying on the boiled/frozen eggs then you can ditch the nestbox completely (once she figures out that the eggs aren't going to hatch she'll stop laying on them, at which point you can throw them away; but always boil/freeze them and put them back, because if you just pitch them she'll continue to lay more to lay on).

***After this baby is weaned and the nestbox is out of the cage, DO NOT PUT IT BACK IN!!! Even if she happens to lay another egg in the bottom of the cage or a food dish, etc., do not put the nestbox back in! It will only serve to cause her to lay more eggs. If you find an egg anywhere in the cage at any point, simply boil it/freeze it, put it back in the bottom of the cage, and if she lays on it then leave it in until she stops. If she doesn't lay on it then just pitch it. The nest box and any nesting materials, like bedding, will only serve to make her hormonal, and since you're not going to allow the eggs to hatch anymore, you don't need a nestbox. Period.

And you absolutely must boil or overnight freeze any and all eggs that you find from this point on, as this is the only way to stop the process. Cockatiels are notoriously for chronic egg-laying, and she will eventually become exhausted and die if you keep allowing any eggs your see to hatch. And if you simply throw them away she'll continue to lay on them. So, your only option is to boil/freeze them so they have no chance of developing/hatching, and then putting them back in until she gets bored with them, and then throwing them out, or buying plastic cockatiel eggs and replacing the real eggs as soon as you see them, throw the real eggs out, and then remove the plastic eggs when she becomes bored. And putting your birds on a "Natural Light Schedule" is a must. This means that their cage is near a window so they can see the sunrise and the sunset. And they must be covered and put to be at sunset, regardless of what time that happens (depending on the time of the year), and be uncovered at sunrise so they can see it happen. This calms their hormones and stops the mating.

***As for your female right now, while she's feeding the baby, she need BOTH a Cuttlebone AND a Mineral Block, so if you don't have a Mineral Block already then you need to get one, along with a bag of Egg-Food. If you have a Petco near you, they sell both Mineral Blocks (they sell a big yellow one that looks like a flower, and a smaller pink one that looks like a Strawberry), and in the same place where they sell the Mineral Blocks they sell bags of Egg-Food for $9.99. It's a blue and yellow bag that says "Egg-Food" on it. It's basically dehydrated eggs mixed in with crushed-up egg-shells, and is very important for a laying female. Make sure that your female always has access to both the Cuttlebone and the Mineral Block, as well as a dish of Egg-Food, in addition to her regular pellets, seed mix, and fresh daily veggies. And lots and lot of water. These things combined are the best way to keep her from becoming Egg-Bound, which is fatal and usually caused by eggs developing with weak or soft shells due to not enough calcium available to make them, and it will help to keep your female from becoming malnourished.

 

[MonicaMc]

Right now would be an excellent time to start introducing new foods!

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

Worse case scenario, find a breeder to hand raise the chick to weaning (although the chick is kind of old now..) and replace real eggs with fake eggs. Many sites sell "dummy eggs" for birds.



This is generally what I recommend for egg-laying hens. (X-post)

1. Remove Eggs
   • Rearrange the cage
   • Move the cage to a new location
   • Use a cage grate
   • Get a new cage/Use a different cage
   • 12-14 hours of complete darkness (may require as much as 16 hrs for 2 weeks - or try providing the opposite, as little as 8 hrs of sleep)
   • Full Spectrum Lighting/Better Lighting
   • Lower the indoor temperature
   • Decrease calcium and protein within the diet (if she is on a high calcium & protein diet prior to laying eggs)
   • Remove anything that could be taken as a nest
   • Remove anything that could be used as nesting material
   • Don't allow her in any dark place or enclosed area
   • IMPORTANT: save the eggs in the fridge
   • If she lays more than 3-4 eggs, put them back in the cage
2. Leave the Eggs
   • Leave the eggs alone in the cage
   • [Optional] Replace with fake eggs (prevent eggs from breaking)
   • Increase calcium
   • Let hen sit on eggs for 3-4 weeks or until she gets bored of them
   • Once done sitting, toss

Generally speaking, there are triggers to hens laying eggs, and if you can remove the triggers, you may be able to stop the egg laying. Triggers can include toys that she can lay in, a plastic base to a cage, nesting material (i.e. cage bedding), a diet high in protein and fat, too much or not enough light, quality of light, etc. All things that should be considered. Removing the triggers to egg laying should be considered *FIRST* before any drastic measures should be taken. You never know, it could be something simple!