# My situation so far...



## sbarnett (Nov 12, 2012)

Like I wrote in my intro I got two pairs of cockatiels from a breeder. They were supposed to be established pairs who have had babies before. I've had both pairs for about three months now. They are both four years old. 
One pair lutino female/grey pied male had six eggs in their nest. For the first week they kept getting off the eggs instead of taking turns like they were supposed to. The second week they stayed on the eggs consistenly from what I could tell. When I candled the eggs at two weeks...they were all yolkers. I haven't actually seen this pair mate since I've had them but that could have happened when I was at work. I'm hoping no one is infertile and that it is just that they didn't set the eggs like they were supposed to. 
The second pair a pearl female/lutino male laid four eggs. When I checked the eggs...the same result: all yolkers. These two would take turns or sit side by side in the nest box but when I peeked in to check on them: the eggs were next to or betwen them and not actually under them. These two I caught mating half a dozen times. Again I don't know why established pairs would not know to stay on the eggs like they should. 
This is both of theirs first clutch so I'm hoping the next time all goes well. My bf suggested incubate them in an incubator and switch out dummy eggs to ensure they are incubated properly. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance for any help offered.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

If you just got them, they haven't settled into their new environment enough to make babies yet. They're still unsure and of course, they're hormones were high enough that the hens laid eggs, but I doubt there was any mating going on. My tiels mate all throughout the day when trying to make babies, so trust me, you would know if they had mated. The female is very loud during mating. 

I would say, remove the boxes and give them more time. Let them get used to where they are. Once you see or hear the mating for yourself, then you can put the boxes back, but until then all you're doing is promoting the hen to lay infertile eggs which can be harmful to her. Fingers crossed all goes well.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I'm a little confused by some of the statements here.

1. They were supposed to be established pairs who have had babies before
2. They are both two years old. 
3. This is both of theirs first clutch 

If this is their first clutch ever (as opposed to their first clutch with you), they may not have completely figured out how it's done. Some pairs will mess up several clutches before they figure it out, and some will never figure it out.

If they had clutches with their previous owner, they may have been very young at the time since they're only two years old now. It's desirable for hens to be 18-24 months old and males to be 12-18 months for breeding purposes. Younger birds aren't the world's greatest parents so it's possible that they didn't successfully raise any previous clutches that they had.

It's best to allow only two successful clutches in a 12-month period to protect the health of the parents (and by extension, the babies). So if those previous clutches they've supposedly had were earlier this year, the parents may have been old enough at the time, but they may have already met their quota for this year.


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## sbarnett (Nov 12, 2012)

The breeder I got them from said that both pair have had several clutches before I bought them. I actually have two of their babies from previous clutches. I do need to correct myself, he said both pairs were four years old not two. I will fix this mistake. This is their first clutch since I've had them. I don't know how long it takes them to get settled in. I also got a pair of lovebirds from him, they have five babies almost three weeks old. Maybe cockatiels take longer to get adjusted. I'm still new at this, trying to figure everything out.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The adjustment period will depend on the individual birds. If they have successfully produced babies before, they should be able to do so again. Just maybe not right now. 

Spring and early summer are the time when the breeding hormones tend to be highest. I don't know where you're located, but in the northern hemisphere it's fall heading into winter. If you want to give their hormones a boost, check out the hormone control thread at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=32330 and do the opposite of what it says. It takes time for this to become effective though, and it's probably too late for the current eggs. You will probably have better luck if you simply wait until they've had more time to settle in, and let mother nature tell them when it's time to make babies.


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