# My Cockatiels Mated Today.



## Camtaro (Oct 19, 2012)

So two of my cockatiels mated today. We weren't really expecting it at all considering the situation. Now we aren't really sure what we should do next.

Any advice as to what to do first, and then after?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If they've only mated once, you have time to prevent them from laying eggs. It usually takes repeated matings for the hen's hormone levels to build up to the point where she starts laying eggs.

We have information on hormone control at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=32330


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## Camtaro (Oct 19, 2012)

tielfan said:


> If they've only mated once, you have time to prevent them from laying eggs. It usually takes repeated matings for the hen's hormone levels to build up to the point where she starts laying eggs.
> 
> We have information on hormone control at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=32330


Oh no, there's defiantly no stopping her egg laying. She laid a huge clutch of 7 just this past month of duds. We had recently removed them due to un-interest and spoilage as well.

I'm almost positive she will lay a fertilized egg here in a day or two.

What I was curious to know is, should I add or remove certain things from her diet? Obviously she needs a nestbox, so what kind and what bedding should I use? 

Any advice at all really. She's probably going to want a big clutch, as she is extremely fertile. anyway to help limit the amount of eggs from 7 to say 3-4?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

OK, that's a different situation than a previously non-breeding pair starting to mate. They've been in breeding mode for weeks and are now replacing the clutch that didn't hatch.

Good nestbox bedding plays an important role in breeding success. We have information on nestboxes and litter at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27688

I have information on breeding diet at http://www.littlefeatheredbuddies.com/info/nutrition-tieldiet.html#breeders It's especially important to make sure the hen gets plenty of calcium and vitamin D to prevent egg binding and ensure good-quality eggshells.


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## Camtaro (Oct 19, 2012)

tielfan said:


> OK, that's a different situation than a previously non-breeding pair starting to mate. They've been in breeding mode for weeks and are now replacing the clutch that didn't hatch.
> 
> Good nestbox bedding plays an important role in breeding success. We have information on nestboxes and litter at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27688
> 
> I have information on breeding diet at http://www.littlefeatheredbuddies.com/info/nutrition-tieldiet.html#breeders It's especially important to make sure the hen gets plenty of calcium and vitamin D to prevent egg binding and ensure good-quality eggshells.


Oh that's exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. Good news is she is already on a good versatile diet high in calcium. (We grind cuttlebone into her food and treats and she loves it. She also has a flavored mineral block she has almost finished as well.)

So that's good. Let me go ahead and fill you in on everything. We had adopted rue about two months ago. We had her in quarantine for about 30 days before we introduced her to the rest of the flock (she had already been to the vet with the previous owner and had been health screened because the previous owner said she was concerned about how the bird was acting to later found out it was just because of hormones, but we figured better safe then sorry.). 

She didn't lay during the QT, but after we moved her cage into the living room with the rest of the birds she started laying about a week after. about half way through the month she had 7 eggs she was roosting on every day and night. But after about 2 1/2 weeks she finally got tired of them. They were also beginning to smell. So we were going to toss them.

Now Rue lived by herself most of her life and she was in a cage on her own and still is. We do however, bring her on top of the big cage with the boys & Minny during the day for treats, exercise, skritches, etc., but out of the blue she's started mating with Jack, even though they barely know each other. They actually mated again a few hours ago today.

Rue is Pearl that's about 3+ Years old, Jack is about 6-9 months 1/2 way through his molt, we actually got him and thought he was a girl, mainly because of his extremely sweet and docile nature towards hands and other birds, but surprise, he's moting away into a young male and even getting some from a cougartiel. So that's that.

I have some concerns about whether or not I should move them in together. Jack CAN be very sweet, but as all birds through molts, he tends to get an aggressive gust of hormones and starts chasing one of the other boys around nipping at them. He's never hurt one of them too badly, but he could hurt Rue easily because he's much larger then she is (he's my youngest and somehow the biggest too.), so what do you think about that?

Here's a picture of them =)


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## Tarra (Dec 6, 2008)

Ooohhh a pearl! Pearls are so gorgeous


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## Camtaro (Oct 19, 2012)

Tarra said:


> Ooohhh a pearl! Pearls are so gorgeous


I know right? I am really hoping she'll produce some beautiful offspring. We have plenty of room for more and a few family members who are interested.


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## KerriMac0216 (Apr 7, 2013)

Its a cool experience do lots of research our clutch just hatched two weeks ago...Nest box we used pine shavings seems to work well. We put a couple mineral blocks a calcium perch and a cuttle bone so she has lots of minerals. Good Luck


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It's normal for cockatiel parents to share the incubation and baby care duties. But Jack and Rue haven't had time to form a pair bond, and if you put him in the breeding cage you may have "bondage pair" problems - there's more on that at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=36810

He's also very young, and birds that are less than 12-18 months old tend to be poor parents due to immaturity - their breeding instincts haven't fully developed yet. You can always try letting them share the breeding duties, but you'll need to keep a close eye on the situation and remove him if he doesn't perform properly. If she has to raise a large clutch as a single mother, you'll have to start assist feeding the chicks at a fairly early age. She might be able to handle three chicks by herself, but if there are more than that she will probably need help. Very tiny babies don't need too much food, but by the time they're a week old their crops will be bigger than their heads and they need a LOT of food.


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