# The first time for Holly and Wiser~~~



## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

This afternoon, a weird sound woke me up from my nap at the sofa. I turned my head around and I saw something that I could never imagine. My cockatiels were mating!!!

I was really surprised~~~~

Things that I have done to stimulate them to breed~~~~
1. I made a cardboard nestbox + a plywood nestbox and hang them outside of the cage
-they chosed the cardboard nest box, because I was there first and it is larger than the plywood nest box
2. I give them Kaytee "molting & conditioning supplement" and 8 in 1 "Avilac Stress Health Blend" besides the regular diet
-surprisingly 1 hour after the cockatiel consume the Kaytee supplement, they start to mate, I think it is similar to Petamine supplement
3. I use a full spectrum bulb to prolong the day time

My cockatiels does not show the typical signs of breeding behaviours (such as feeding, preening, and kissing each other). However, I did observed some changes. The female cockatiel starts to consume the cuttlebones and mineral blocks. She becomes super active that she eat constantly and her crest will always stay up. She even starts to be more vocal (of course it doesn't wistle like a male). The funny thing is that the male did not try to impress her, she was the one who trying so hard to impress him. She did hang upside down with her wings stretched right outside of the nestbox. She and Wiser always takes turn to stay in the nest box to chill. Sometimes both birds will sleep in the nest box together as well. 

So I assumed that it will 10-14 days for Holly to deliver eggs after the first time Wiser mate with her or she might not want to have eggs at all, but I will wait!!! 

I understand that even if I get eggs, the first clutch of eggs are usually unfertilized, but I am already happy that cockatiels start to mate. This is their first time!!! Yea!!!

Btw, I already made a list of things that I need to get to make the an emergency brooder and the handfeeding tools. Just incase I get eggs and they are fertilized.

Also, I want to thank you for everyone who helped me and gave advices for breeding cockatiel in the pass.
These are the threads that I posted before:
http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?
http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=8179
http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=8202
http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=8195
http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=8227
http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=8239
http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=8146


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

huson said:


> I understand that even if I get eggs, the first clutch of eggs are usually unfertilized,


Not always true. Ours was fertile the first time. Read as much as you can about everything and make sure you have room, money and time for the chicks.


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

Thank You, I will!!!! My whole family is supporting this~~~


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## shy bird (Feb 13, 2009)

congrats on the sucsess.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

The only thing I'd suggest, is remove the cardboard nest box and leave the ply wood, Cardboard does not make a good nest box for many reasons Main one is they chew their nest box to make it their way - they chew cardboard it falls apart, another big reason is cardboard will hold bacteria when it gets wet(droppings) when it gets wet it falls apart. You do NOT want eggs and or baby chicks hitting the ground from a cardboard nest box that fell apart


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

The Avilac stress health blend is probably what got them going. It has lacto bacillus Aka Ornabac (probiotics). It has been proven to promote breeding. In fact they warn people not to give it to them every day BECAUSE they come into breeding condition. If that's not what you want that could be a bad thing. Also Birds can get moody when they are broody.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

sweetrsue said:


> Birds can get moody when they are broody.


And be moody broodies...Sorry I had to say that...


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I figured somebody would pick up on that!


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## Duckie (Feb 13, 2008)

Aly said:


> Not always true. Ours was fertile the first time. Read as much as you can about everything and make sure you have room, money and time for the chicks.


M&M's clutch was all fertile, and it was their first, too


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

I've only had one Female not lay any fertile eggs, and I thought at first it was her male mate(because every one said and everything i read said infertile eggs is "the boys fault"), But I've put her with 2 different guys, BOTH very well fertile (both have given me 2 clutches with other females) and still all infertile so I gave up, It doesn't help much her age was guessed, when I got her they estimated 3 years old which would of made her 4 years old when I bred her, and going on 5 years old now but I'm not going to breed her any more . 3 different guys (even trimmed the vent feathers) and all infertile eggs. 

But all my other ones always have at least 1 egg hatch (that's a rarity though normally its all or at least most of the eggs hatch 1st time around)


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

Wow, I guess we never know until Holly deliver the eggs!!!



atvchick95 said:


> The only thing I'd suggest, is remove the cardboard nest box and leave the ply wood, Cardboard does not make a good nest box for many reasons Main one is they chew their nest box to make it their way - they chew cardboard it falls apart, another big reason is cardboard will hold bacteria when it gets wet(droppings) when it gets wet it falls apart. You do NOT want eggs and or baby chicks hitting the ground from a cardboard nest box that fell apart


I really like the advice for the nest box, but my biggest worry is that if I take the cardbox nest box away, they might feel insecure...then stop mating. Because they really love the cardbox nest box. They never go into the plywood nest box before, . I think it would be hard for them to change.

I already put a small table right underneath the cardboard box to hold the bottom of the nest box, just incase they chew it thru. Before they never chew the bottom before~~~

http://www.acstiels.com/Articles/Breeding/nestbox.htm


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

huson said:


> Wow, I guess we never know until Holly deliver the eggs!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Did you put both up at the same time? if so that's probably why you gave them a choice, so they chose the cardboard one instead of the wooden one 

Mine don't get a choice, They get plywood nest box and only one 

Hopefully nothing goes wrong with the cardboard one 

but next time (if you breed them again) don't give them a option just give them a plywood nest box it's safer


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Cardboard nest boxes are sold on-line. If you can stay ahead of the chewing it's OK. When they break all the way thru I just attach another piece of cardboard over top of the whole. They are only meant for one time use and I'm sure now that you have a wooden nest box that the cardboard one will be discarded after use. To remove it now may very well make them feel insecure and stop their breeding cycle in it's tracks. If fact change is one of the strategies to stop birds from laying.


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

Thank You~~~

The reason why I use a cardboard box at the beginning, because none of the local pet store have a plywood cockatiel nest box at the time. Now, they finally have ONE instock, so I bought it. Just incase I need it now or later~~~


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I've had pairs raise babies in a cardboard box. Mind you it was three layers of cardboard and they still chewed all the way through the back wall. I just put another layer of cardboard over the hole and held it in place with a bungee cord.


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

*Pictures of the pregnant cockatiel bump???*

Does anyone have a picture of a pregnant cockatiel bump??? 

It is because, Holly vent area is a bit swollen and do have large dropping, so I am assuming that she will lay some eggs soon??? 

I heard that you can see a visual bump between the legs of a pregnant cockatiel~~~so I am wondering does anyone have one???


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Sounds like it - from what I can remember, it's about every 48 hours they lay an egg. 

Prior to egg laying and during the egg laying process, the female will have very large and odorous droppings, which is normal. Sometimes the parents will wait until 2 or 3 eggs are present before nesting on eggs. The purpose is so that most of the eggs will hatch around the same time. Eggs do not start to incubate until they are nested on and get warm and eggs can stay viable for up to 7 days before nesting is need. 

Also, if you haven't already, provide your birds with a shallow dish of water to bathe in each day. When parents wet the feathers on their lower body feathers, eggs are kept moist during the nesting phase. This will help to maintain the humidity level that embryos need to develop properly.

- I don't have a photo of a swollen vent, sorry.


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## Rocky's Rose (Jun 24, 2008)

huson said:


> Does anyone have a picture of a pregnant cockatiel bump???
> 
> It is because, Holly vent area is a bit swollen and do have large dropping, so I am assuming that she will lay some eggs soon???
> 
> I heard that you can see a visual bump between the legs of a pregnant cockatiel~~~so I am wondering does anyone have one???


I have a picture on my camera but i can't find my cord for the camera Sorry. I'll try to find the cord.Good luck with your cockatiels.


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

*Pictures of Holly's Pregnant Bump*

These are some pictures of Holly's Bump, it got even bigger today!!! I am soo worry, because it is my first time seeing this~~~LOL, I don't want to see her in pain~~~every once in a while she scream like crazy, 

It is amazing that they have natural instinct to tell them eat mineral block and cuttlebone to aid their pregnancy~~~

Does this look like your cockatiel, when she is pregnant?


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

I've never got to see my tiel's egg bumps but i've seen my budgies (they come out more then my tiels) and it looks just like that only of course on a smaller bird


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

*Finally!!! Yea!!!*

Finally Holly deliver an egg!!! This is her first egg!~~~I'm soo excited~~~
Unfortunately, she already start to brood the egg~~~which means that if the eggs are fertile, the babies will hatch on different days~~~

Thnx for everyone's help!


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

all mine have sat from the very 1st egg, since eggs are laid every 2 days, they hatch the same way, it's not a huge difference, 

where i notice the difference is say the pair have 6 eggs 

egg 1 hatches 

egg 2 hatches 

egg 3 doesn't hatch 

egg 4 doesn't hatch 

egg 5 doesn't hatch 

egg 6 hatches

there would be a decent size difference between egg 2 and egg 6 because they are several days apart in age 

but when they hatch 2 days apart or even 3 days apart, I don't notice much of a difference. 

Will be looking for an update on the 19th


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

LOL, Holly layed the second egg yesterday morning. The second egg look more proportion. Just like the book said, the first egg probably look irregular in shape. So guess how many eggs Holly will lay for her first clutch???


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## Rocky's Rose (Jun 24, 2008)

She may lay 3-6 eggs. Rosie just laid her fifth egg and this is her first clutch that i know of


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

Cross our fingers and hope that our eggs are fertile!!! My Holly is laying her 4th egg tonight~~~so I am still wait~~~it is funny how both our cockatiel are laying eggs right now~~~I wish at least one of them is fertile!!!

Btw, I realized my Holly got skinner, I start to see that her feet have folded skins!!! Usually her feet is full of meat!!! I am starting to worry~~~Hope that she gets a baby so that her effort is not wasted!!


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## Rocky's Rose (Jun 24, 2008)

Ya its odd, Rosie toke so long to start laying.... it was around 7 days after i set up the nestbox and i set up the nestbox about 7 days after i caught them mating. I didn't think Rosie was going to lay again after the 4th one but she did today. Rosie didn't even come out of the nestbox today unless i opened the top. 
Is Holly eating well?? I would keep an eye on how much she is eating. You wouldn't want her to get too skinny.


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

Well she only comes out few times a day to eat and drink, like a short break~~~so she do eat~~~~btw she delivery the 4th egg today!!! Woohoo~~~


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I think infertile first clutches are produced when ppl try to use a male that is too young. They need a bit of maturity just like the hen.


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

how long does it takes for he to reach maturity? cause the breeder told me that are at their breeding age 19months. I saw them didn't mate probably~~~could it be????Because they had a short tail (it was plucked, so their tail is still growing), so they try to mate on top of the food bowl, instead of the perch~~~so I guess it is harder?


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

Today Holly suppose to deliver the 5th egg, if she have one, but she didn't so I guess she will only have 4 eggs for her first clutch. 
I candled the egg before I slept, all four eggs have no blood vessels and the yolks stick to one side of the shell. I guess Holly didn't turn the egg properly~~~


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

18 months is now the accepted age for maturity for males and females. They used to say 12 months but that was 20 years ago. With more maturity you are more likely to get fertile eggs and they tend to be better parents.


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## Rocky's Rose (Jun 24, 2008)

huson said:


> Today Holly suppose to deliver the 5th egg, if she have one, but she didn't so I guess she will only have 4 eggs for her first clutch.
> I candled the egg before I slept, all four eggs have no blood vessels and the yolks stick to one side of the shell. I guess Holly didn't turn the egg properly~~~


I would still leave the eggs in just incase the candling isn't accurate. Also if you take the eggs out Holly would lay more and deplete her calcium storage. Hopefully they are fertile. I haven't candled Rosie's and Rocky's clutch and i don't think i will. I'm going to wait and see what happens.... its annoying to wait but i don't want to be disappointed if they all seem infertile and really they're not.


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## Duckie (Feb 13, 2008)

huson said:


> LOL, how many eggs Holly will lay for her first clutch???


The clutch M&M just had, Maya laid 7 eggs...yes 7!!!, and this was her first too! However, only 6 were fertile, but the 7 did have a chick in it  (I had to check when it was time to remove it). I guess they either knew that maybe something was wrong, or they said "6 is enough!" ...lol


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

When should I let them mate again after this clutch? btw it seems like they are all infertile~~~~


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## Duckie (Feb 13, 2008)

I believe that you should wait at least awhile until you let them breed again. Generally, as far as my knowledge goes, I think tiels should only be bred no more than 2X a year. Since she did lay eggs, I would wait...maybe 6 months??? (Someone tell me if I am wrong). Her calcium levels will be all out of wack right now, and it might harm her to do it now.

Regarding the eggs, maybe it is possible that the first couple of eggs are infertile, since it has been 10 days or more. But the last couple of eggs may still have a chance, as they are not as old. I would still leave them for a bit...you never know. Now, I am new at breeding too, but from what I have been learning here, I think this is the correct route...i am sure that if I am wrong, someone will correct me here 

Im crossing my fingers!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Pairs generally want to go to nest as soon as the first clutch leaves the nest. There really is nothing wrong with that as long as your hen is getting enough calcium. In this case however I would wait. They may need a bit more time to develop their instincts. Wait at least 'till you see them going at it again regularly. Then wait 10 days before hanging a box.


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## Rocky's Rose (Jun 24, 2008)

I waited 7 days after i first saw my pair mating before hanging the nestbox and they were mating 2-3 times a day. But this is their first clutch that i know of.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

They usually get it right sooner or later. If they continue to be infertile it's most likely the male.


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## SweetSimmy (Sep 1, 2008)

hmm it looks like some people's tiel eggs hatch differently
all the eggs that any of my boyfriends tiels lay, the first never hatches.

im awaiting a nest right now. its been 16 days since the box has been hooked up


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

Well, I just want others to know that Holly and Wiser are now brooding their 2nd clutch of eggs and they are...

egg #1: infertile
egg #2: fertile
egg #3: fertile
egg #4: fertile
egg #5: unknown
egg #6: still in the oviduct and hoping there are more more more fertile eggs

This is their second clutch in their lives. Earlier on, I told others that Holly and Wiser are laying eggs and that was refer to their first clutch. All of the eggs in the first clutch were infertile. 

So I wanna thnx GOD for blessing my cockatiels having safe pregnancy and giving us fertile eggs~~~woohoo~~~


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Three eggs is a good number. Since they are first time parents a small clutch might be easier for them to deal with.


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

thnx, I hope they are good parents


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