# Selective Breeding?



## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

So I was wondering if there was some way to get cockatiels to selectively breed if they are with other cockatiels?

I just took in 2 cockatiels who have been mated and bred almost their whole life, who also have had successful clutches that they parent-raised. 

The question I have is if they are in the same cage as my other cockatiels most of the time, would they still try to mate? Because if yes, I'm thinking that is when I would want to move them to a specific cage I will buy for "breeding" that will have an attached Nest box (I've already priced it and everything, but hope they don't try to mate right away as I want them to be settled in first). 

Or would it even be possible that they will not mate unless I move them to the other cage so they are separated from my other cockatiels?



This will not be my first time hand-raising, but it will be my first time breeding. And I know a lot can go wrong even with birds that have been bred before. So I also have other questions as well..

What type of Nesting material should I provide? And then should I put it in the box myself or offer them pieces to take in there themselves so they can make it themselves? 

I know that the female especially will require a special diet, and so far nowhere has been able to tell me what it is, could someone please make a list of the "Must Haves" in their diet while they are doing not only the mating, but the nesting and taking care of their chicks those first few weeks before I begin hand-feeding? 

They're supposed to be getting some sort of extra supplements for vitamins and minerals, right? What kind do I get, how do I give it to them and how much should I be giving them and how often?

=] Any help would be greatly appreciated!


Thank you!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Cockatiels don't need privacy to mate; they'll "do it" when they're surrounded with other birds and/or while humans are watching. Henry once mated with one of his sisters in front of the entire bird club (which was a strange location to him), and having everyone looking at him and laughing didn't bother him at all.

Cockatiels form a pair bond and will be reasonably faithful to their mate. But birdie adultery is fairly common, and the only way to guarantee that the mate is the real daddy is to keep each breeding pair in a separate cage. If you put up just one nestbox in a cage full of birds there will be a lot of fighting over it, so if you only want this one pair to breed you should separate them from the others.

We have a lot of good threads on breeding in the sticky library at http://talkcockatiels.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33

The sticky library includes info on the subjects you asked about. The thread on nestboxes and litter is at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27688 Wild cockatiels don't build nests, they find a hole in a tree and chew it up some. You need to put the litter in the box because carrying it in themselves is not in their instincts.

There's a general article on diet at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27479 and info on vitamin D at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27549 Vitamin D is essential to calcium absorption so it's especially critical for breeding hens. There's info on the special needs of breeding birds at http://www.littlefeatheredbuddies.com/info/nutrition-tieldiet.html#breeders

I also like to recommend that first-time breeders read the ten-part article on the Responsible Breeding of Cockatiels at http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/artspctl.htm#Cockatiels You'll see it if you scroll down to the R's.


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## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

I REALLY appreciate your help. =] When I posted pictures of my first two cockatiels I was told they were both female. So it is a bonded pair of females, and a mated/bonded pair of a male and a female. So I would know who the father is...but if he tries mating with the other females, then that would be the problem. 

Thank you so much again for the info and links!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

He might try mating with the other females. Even if he doesn't, if they're all in the same cage you could have several hens laying eggs in the same nestbox with no idea who laid which egg, and some might be fertile and some might not be. Alternatively, you might have all the hens wanting the nestbox but not wanting to share, and some nasty fights as a result. The male could get involved in the fighting too, cocks can be aggressive toward a rival hen who wants "his" nest.


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## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

That is why I was looking up the signs of them starting "mating season", if I begin to see it then I would move them from the cage to the breeding cage, where the nesting box would be attached. That way if I see him mating with her I can move them as well. And I definitely want to move them out of the big cage while breeding because I don't want them to fight over the box.


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