# Too many eggs? Shall I remove female from the nest?



## TielLover88 (Feb 1, 2012)

Hi everyone!!! This is my first time posting here!!! I'm a newbie, so hope someone can help me out. 

My friend gave me a baby cockatiel 3 years ago and I handfed her until she is independent. Later on I bought a male cockatiel to partner with her. Now they are breeding. This will be the first time for my female cockatiel to lay eggs. 

Now she already laid 10 eggs and she seems to go for more. She is still mating with her guy. 

I'm very worry about her health. If she lay more eggs, what should I do? Should I remove her from the nest to stop from the breeding? Put her in a room with less day light to calm her hormones?

Btw, all the eggs are fertile too. I cannot wait to take a family photo for them. 

Thanks for reading and hope someone can give me some advice.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

If she has 10 eggs the first one would have been laid 20 days ago (tiels lay every other day). If they are fertile you would be having chicks hatching out about now. You might candle them again. When close to hatch the air cell will be off center, and look tilted. If you have fertile eggs due to hatch it would not be wise to move her. The eggs will get chilled and die.

Some hens are genetically programmed to lay more eggs than other hens. If you know the laying history of the mother and grandmother, many times clutch size is an inherited trait.

I had a hen that would lay 42 eggs each time she was set up. And there was no way to stop her till she layed this amount. I would have to have other pairs set up to foster most of the eggs too.


NOTE: when I had my prolific laying hen my vet reassured me that hens can lay an unlimited amount of eggs as long as their diet was balanced and contained calcium sources and good lighting.

These links may be helpful:
Calcium: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=19866
Lighting, Diet and D3: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27588


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## TielLover88 (Feb 1, 2012)

thank you very much!!! yes her mother was well known that she also lay many eggs per clutch. I was told that her mother often lay 8 lays per clutch. I guess now her daughter break her record. 

Well, the air sac is starting to tilt, but I think the eggs won't hatch anytime soon. I believed they started to sit on the eggs when she delivered the 5th egg. 

Thanks again!!!


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## TielLover88 (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm kinda worry now. She is still laying eggs. She just laid the 11th egg. 

At the momment, she is eating some pellets, seeds and drinking "Prime" vitamin water. However, she is not getting much full spectrum light. Just regular light at home. 

So do you think the supplement and pellet can give enough calcium for her to make her eggs?

Srtiels did you let your hen lay all 42 eggs? Do you think she will eventually stop when she is busy with the babies? It is because she don't even know there are babies in the eggs yet. This is her first time.


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## DyArianna (Aug 7, 2011)

Can you post pictures of your two birds? It could be possible you have 2 females both laying clutches of intertile eggs.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*So do you think the supplement and pellet *
------------------------------------

Please, please stop giving the vitamins. The reason why is because the pellets contain vitamins, and there is no need to give more. Vitamins in excess can be harmful. Why?....because the body has fat stores that store the fat soluble vitamins in the body. When there is excess sources of vitamins they can build up in the body contribute to a toxicity. For instance: the liver stores Vitamin A, and excess can harm/damage it.

You mentioned the air cells are tilted. This is an indication that the chick has turned in the egg and has turned to the air cell and hatching can be from 24-48 hrs from when this is first seen.

When the first egg starts to hatch. if she is still laying remove the newest eggs as they are being layed. The actual hatching of live chicks may be the trigger to get her to stop laying.


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## TielLover88 (Feb 1, 2012)

thanks for the heads up but my cockatiel only eay very little pellet, they are focusing on the the seeds.

can i just dilute the vitamin water? instead of not give it to them at all?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Stop the vitamins entirely.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

If you are also offering veggies they are getting vitamins that way and there is no need to give them. I have never had to give vitamins.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Can we see pictures of mom and dad?


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## TielLover88 (Feb 1, 2012)

Thanks for the interest, I will try to take some pictures today.

I already stop providing vitamin water. 

Also, the female still lays eggs and mate while she is taking care of the babies.

So far we have 14 eggs. 12 eggs are fertile and 5 already hatched. Egg #13 and #14 just got laid recently, still need to wait to see any signs of fertility.

I just hope the female will stop laying eggs. 

REALLY worry about her health.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Also, the female still lays eggs*

If you have another pair setup you can move/foster the new eggs under the pair. Or if you have a friend that has birds on eggs with small or infertile clutches you can see if they can let their birds incubate and hatch the eggs.

OK....you are going to be running into another problem of a large clutch of babies. You will have to check in the nest several times a day to make sure all the babies are fed. You may have to help the parents by assist feeding. This link has some info: http://justcockatiels.weebly.com/assist-feeding-chicks-in-the-nest.html


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