# Male brooding eggs?



## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

Hi everyone,

One of my pairs laid 2 eggs, the last one laid yesterday. Anyway, the female is out of the nestbox alot, and the male is brooding the eggs when she is out. Is this normal? I know that the male takes over at some point, but I didn't think it happens so soon.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Congratulations on the eggs!

Yes this is normal. Most times the male will have the day duty of sitting on the eggs and the hen has the nightime duty of being on them.

Once hatched both parents will feed the babies.


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

Awww, that's just so sweet, I wish humans were the same! lol.

Thanks so much for the congrats, this is my first clutch of tiels, just had my first Budgies who are getting big now!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...the Dady birds LOVE the babies...and sometimes i feel they are more maternal than the females. If you losten close he may also sing and croon to the eggs


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I have a theory on why the father takes the day shift. The hen needs food more than he does because she had to work hard to lay those eggs while he was just goofing around. So he takes care of the eggs while she goes out and replenishes her physical resources.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

I think it is because the males like to stand guard. And the hens are more fearsome to preditors because they can rock, hiss and strike like a snake to scare a preditor off. And preditors are more likely at night.


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## silverflower (Aug 15, 2009)

whytedragon said:


> Awww, that's just so sweet, I wish humans were the same! lol.
> 
> Thanks so much for the congrats, this is my first clutch of tiels, just had my first Budgies who are getting big now!


Me too! lol

Congratz! I was confused the first time too. Even after they hatched I noticed that the male was the only one feeding the babies at first, that would have been nice after I had my daughter!


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

srtiels said:


> I think it is because the males like to stand guard. And the hens are more fearsome to preditors because they can rock, hiss and strike like a snake to scare a preditor off. And preditors are more likely at night.


Tell me about it, I almost got my head bit off when I peeked


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

silverflower said:


> Me too! lol
> 
> Congratz! I was confused the first time too. Even after they hatched I noticed that the male was the only one feeding the babies at first, that would have been nice after I had my daughter!


Here here, I totally agree! Or even a diaper change would've been nice!


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

BTW, momma is a Pearl and daddy is a pied. I'll try to get some pics of them tomorrow. Darn flash in my camera doesn't work, but i'll try!


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

Found some recent pics in an email  But this was before they were put in their breeding cage.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Nice!!! How old is the pied male? He looks like he may have had pearling when he was younger. And he has excellent cheek patches....good color and size.


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

The lady I got them from told me they were normals, lol. But she says they've successfully reared young but couldn't give me what mutations the chicks were.
I bought them as "normals"...lol. Giggled as I was leaving.

She said the female is about 2 and the male a bit younger but she said when she got him she was told he was about 14 months, so I bought them about 2-3 months ago...but not sure when she got him, but if he's younger than the female..... lol. I've tried piecing that puzzle together, but kinda makes my head spin, so I just say they're both 2, lol.

I thought the same, looks like he has some pearling, but I'm not great with mutations, though I try ;D

I also wonder if the female might be a cinnamon, but I don't think i've got a pic of her back.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...I think the female is a cinnamon pearl.

The male is well over a year old and appears to be a pearl pied.

Many breeders used the term normals meaning any tiel with an orange cheek patch.

As to the pairing you will definitely get normal (meaning grey and yellow pearling) pearl babies, in bith sexes. If you get any other colors that would mean the parent birds are split to other color mutations. If you get pieds, then the female is split to pied. If you get any other colors aside from pearl or pied....like cinnamon, cinnamon pearl, or lutino then the male is also split to cinnamon and lutino. If you get any surprize babies that have white down upon hatching them both parents would also be carrying the WF gene.

That's the fun part of breeding ...the surprises in the nest


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

OoOo, surprises are what make it worthwhile!

Everyone expected and explained to me that my Budgie babies would all be green unless the male was Split to pied, and guess what, 3 yellow pied babies and 1 white pied baby, lol. This is from a yellow recessive pied female and cobalt blue male. Totally didn't expect it, I was fine with all green 

Thank you for the analysis, i'll get better at this mutation thing...lots of practice, lol.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

WOW!!! That was a great surprise with the budgies.

It is ususally the first clutch that will give you an idea of what the parents are split to. BUT!...that is with this pairing. Sometimes with a different pairing of each bird results could be different again.

Yes...the surprises are great...and it seems like forever when you are waiting for them to feather out to see what they will be.


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

Got that right! And go figure, the youngest was the white, lol.


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## Duckie (Feb 13, 2008)

It was awesome when M&M had their clutch back in February. I ended up with 3 pied (like Maya), 2 Normal (like Memphis) and 1 lutino. I am really, really hoping that when i breed them again, that maybe I will get a WF, I was told that both parents are split to WF. i guess we will have to wait!


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

3rd egg arrived EARLY this morning, still being very good parents  The male watches me when I come in the room by holding his head upside down under the perch...just watching...


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

By the 4th egg you should be able to tell if the 1st egg is fertile. This can easily be seen by glancing in the box. A fertile egg will have a dense white look to it, and an infertile or newly laid egg will have a slightly pinkish cast.


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

Yeah, i've already seen some red in one of the eggs, but very minimal because it was so early.
Problem is, i'm going to have a tough time getting even a peek at them with mom and dad guarding them so well. Will have to offer some yummy treats 

I just got a good look at the eggs and candled them in the box, and one is DEFINITELY fertile...OMG it's just a huge little "blob" lol. Almost could see the heartbeat. Anyway, the other 2 still a little early, but one is showing some signs of life, very very hard to see though.


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

Soo cool, I can see the heart beating, couldn't see it on the budgie eggs, but this is definitely very visible.


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## silverflower (Aug 15, 2009)

I know isn't that so cool, I remeber the first time I read about that I had to see it, and it was neat!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...it is very awesome to see, and it moving around. At about 5 days you can sometimes tell eye color. If a red eyed baby the mass will be all one color. if a dark eyed baby there will be a dark speck where the eye will be.


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

It looks like just 2 fertile eggs for now. One has some red dots, but it looks a little strange, so I don't think it's developed any further. One looks definitely infertile, but then again, it could still be too soon. As for the 5th egg, we'll have to wait and see what today brings, she hasn't laid it yet.


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## silverflower (Aug 15, 2009)

That is so cool, i didn't know you could see the eyes so soon. I will have to look more closely next time.


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

Well it LOOKS like she's laid a 5th egg, judging by her appearance, but dad has been on the eggs all day, so I haven't been able to check. I sure hope to get more than 2 fertile eggs, but will be happy if not.

Also, my Lutino pair has started going in the nestbox more often, both were in there this evening. I've seen them mating once the other day, but the male quickly jumped off when I entered the room...i'm not however hearing anymore courting sounds. So those 2 have me completely confused!
I checked the nestbox just incase, and there are some feathers now scattered about..dunno if that is a sign of anything, but I'm soooo hoping! Would love to get some Lutino chicks.


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

What a drastic change. I got to look last night when they came out after I turned the light on, and there are 5 eggs, 4 being fertile..so the one that doesn't look fertile I think is the new one.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Ir sounds like you are going to have a lot of little ones soon!...Yeh!


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

I'm very excited! I've only had one clutch of Budgie chicks, but have been dreaming of Cockatiel chicks, they are the cutest things!! 

Thinking this time though I'm going to allow the parents to raise them, but of course i'll be handling them daily when they're old enough


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## silverflower (Aug 15, 2009)

Yay! Sounds like things are going well. You might want to mark the eggs with a non toxic permanant marker that way you know which ones should hatch first, it just makes it easier. Even though she has 5 just mark them by the developement of the eggs when you candle.


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

Eggs should be starting to hatch this week, yay! Saw little babies moving inside of them the other day


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

No babies yet, but one of the eggs is peeping..and mom and dad are both spending alot of time in the nestbox together. So it's going to be soooon!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Whoo-Whoo!...little fuzz balls soon


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

They won't let me look, lol...so I guess we won't know until they decide to emerge again


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Oh...you'll know when the baby hatches...Daddy bird will come out of the box calling for you and when he see's you he'll pace and run back and forth in the cage, and peek in the box for you to come look


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

awww, too cute! I thought they might have had one hatch because dad was in the for awhile, then they switched, so I thought mom was taking over...but alas, no hatchling yet. But I'm pretty sure i'll wake up tomorrow to a nice surprise


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## whytedragon (Jun 8, 2009)

First baby hatched this morning, cute and fuzzy! Parents won't let me get a good look at it, all I know is it's yellow and adorable


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Congratulations on the new baby!!


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