# Length of time between mating and egg laying



## Nighthawk82 (Apr 13, 2010)

Hi can anyone give me a rough idea from the first time you see a tiel mate to when the hen lays her first egg.

i'm sure it varies but just a rough time thats all.

thanks for the info as well guys and girls


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## kfelton0002 (Mar 12, 2010)

Usually you will see an egg within about 7-10 days after the hanging of the nest box and the birds start mating. Good luck!!


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## Nighthawk82 (Apr 13, 2010)

ok well i'm not really sure if they have matted i just saw charlie on daisy then that was it but haven't got a nest box yet as no money need to get on i guess  as soon as i can afford it. if there is no nest box will that delay things or complicate things or what?

thanks for the reply


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## kfelton0002 (Mar 12, 2010)

Some pairs will not lay until they have a nest box, but others will lay wherever they can. If they are getting ready to breed you may notice your pair getting a little too interested in a certain corner of their cage, and possibly shredding up paper to make a nest if there is any available. However, from hearing past experiences of others, a lot of the times cockatiels don't do well nesting on the bottom of cages because of lack of privacy, improper temperature and humidity regulation, etc. 

You can make a nest box out of cardboard if you can't get a wooden one right now. Just make sure the dimensions are 12x12x12 and the entrance hole is not too close to the bottom of the box because the cockatiels may knock their eggs out of the nest. Also make sure the entrance hole has a diameter of at least 3 inches to allow the birds to easily get in and out of the box.


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## Nighthawk82 (Apr 13, 2010)

ok cool so cardboard will be strong enough then. also what can be used as cheap bedding for the nest box again lack of funds right now, that will do the trick 
Also are the mesurements in inches or what as i'm in NZ and use cm and mm thats all
thanks again


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## kfelton0002 (Mar 12, 2010)

Yeah the measurements were in inches you will have to convert them to cm. Cardboard nest boxes work very well as I have used them for up to two clutches. One of my pairs actually prefers a cardboard nest box over a wooden one. I use pine shavings as bedding and it is fairly inexpensive, or you can use aspen shavings or even shredded paper.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I have one hen that it doesn't matter if she has a nestbox or not she's gonna lay those eggs in some corner if she can so when I caught her mating this past week I knew I was gonna have to pull one out. If you're short of funds shredded paper should do the trick, mine love to play with it even when not trying to mate!


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## kfelton0002 (Mar 12, 2010)

Coby and Angel were the same way!! They were gonna nest whether I liked it or not, so I had no choice but to give them a nest box. Don't want any eggs on the cage floor! Crazy birds!! lol


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I know they are so silly...she likes to pick a corner (when I let her out of the cage to wander around the first thing she did was find a dark corner) and I don't think that's a good idea so I got the nest box out. 

Nighthawk, I also heard that baskets will work too as a temporary till you can afford a real nest box. With shredded paper but only as a temp. Most bird stores/pet stores will sell a nest box for about 20 bucks or less, its just a basic model but mine seem to like it.


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