# Fostering Eggs Question - please advise



## jgwalker (Jan 7, 2012)

I have 2 breeding pairs of cockatiels and a single female. The first set have 2 brand new babies and are being great parents. The 2nd pair will lay eggs and sit on it but as soon as I look in the nesting box they abandon the eggs. They have layed and sat many times but have never hatched an egg because of my involvement. The single female lays constantly and sets on her eggs and when I remove the eggs she goes through a phase of 'mourning'. So here's my thought... Pair #2 have been mating for the past 4 days and I am expecting to start seeing eggs pretty soon. How awlful would it be for me to pull their eggs once they are all laid and give them to the single female to sit and rear the babies. Would it be too much on her to do alone? And if not her, would couple #1 hatch eggs if they have 2 week old babies in the box or is the age difference too drastic? My only other option is to allow pair #2 to lay their eggs and be COMPLETELY hands off and doing so I can not candle the eggs for furtilization or to assist in complications in hatching which could result to lost babies... What would the experts advise???


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## jgwalker (Jan 7, 2012)

I posted this 12 hours ago and haven't heard anything back yet which is unusual for this forum. Is my post showing up or did I do something wrong? Im still new at this.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Sorry, looks like a lot of us were asleep, you didn't do anything wrong. I would say go ahead and give them to the single hen first and see how she does. If she accepts the eggs, she'll be perfectly fine raising the babies on her own. Or what you could do is give half to her and half to the other pair, that way she wont have as many to raise alone. I've fostered eggs plenty of time (have one egg fostered right now) and its not very hard to do with tiels.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yers, it would be good idea to foster the eggs to the single hen. Maybe 3-4 of them. What you would have to do is to pull them as soon as they are laid and put under the single hen, providing she is also sitting on eggs.

A single hen can feed and raise babies just fine. You can also assist feed the babies if she needs any help. If the single hen is a chronic layer raising a clutch may satify natures needs and she may also stop laying all the time.


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## jgwalker (Jan 7, 2012)

Thank you so much!!! This is what I was hoping to hear! To date, I have lost 4 clutches because of the 2nd pair abandoning them. They will sit on their eggs until the first time I interfere and then completely abondon them in the nesting box and never go back to them. Is this normal behavior for Tiels that do not want to be handled?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Not normally...normally untame tiels are more likely to sit tighter when you check in the nest box. They're actually better breeders because they're afraid of your hands so they wont jump at you and trample babies and eggs when you open the box. Its very strange that they do this...


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

You might want to try an open box with them. If the box has a sliding back, remove 1/2 of the back, and hang the nestbox inside the cage. This way they can see what is going on around them. Also placement of the cage and nestbox makes a difference....for example make sure that the entry to the nestbox is facing the door to the room.


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