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Q. My pair of cockatiels keeps laying eggs but nothing’s
hatching. What’s going on?

A. Cockatiels require several fundamental conditions in
order to reproduce successfully. It’s likely that your birds
are missing something that they need, such as extra
daylight hours, a comfortable ambient temperature,
satisfactory humidity levels, dietary supplementation, an
appropriate nesting site and a suitable mate.

Breeding birds need additional protein, fat and other
nutrients in order to be in healthy breeding shape and
to feed their chicks.

In addition to seeds and pellets, provide a daily
supplement of eggfood (mashed hard-boiled or
scrambled) or a corn/rice/bean mix lightly dusted with a
quality avian multivitamin/mineral supplement containing
vitamin D3. Offer plenty of fresh, dark green leafy
vegetables – cockatiels love juicy stalks – and loads of
carrots, which are high in vitamin A. Also give them
whole-wheat bread and other nutritious commercial
nesting foods.

All cockatiels, especially breeding pairs, require added
dietary calcium and should always have access to fresh
cuttlebone. Many also enjoy mineral block, oyster shell,
and chicken eggshells dried and roasted at 350
degrees for a minimum of twenty minutes to remove
salmonella bacteria.

Have you offered your birds a cockatiel nesting box and
an undisturbed environment in which to breed?
Breeding pairs also need access to a daily bath, so they
can return to the nest, dripping wet, to sit their eggs.
This added moisture allows the parents to control the
humidity levels necessary for chicks to rotate inside the
egg, avoiding adhering to the egg membrane, so they
may successfully hatch.

Cockatiels lay eggs approximately every other day; the
average clutch size is four to six eggs. Candle the eggs
to check for fertility.

Are you sure that you’ve paired a female and a male
together? Did you DNA-sexing or did you guess? Most
cockatiel color mutations are sexually dimorphic,
showing some variations between males and females,
with the exception of lutinos, white-faced lutinos and
pied mutations.

You can also look for behavior clues to determine
gender. Check for the following clues. If both of your
cockatiels act “broody” and rather quiet, laying an
abundance or double the amount of eggs expected
within a short period of time – that are always infertile –
and neither bird is actively singing and courting the
other – you might have two females.

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community to address
all areas of cockatiel
culture. The Foundation
offers its members
programs for pet
owners, breeders and
exhibitors, in addition to
services never before
addressed in the
cockatiel community.

CF is establishing a
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necessary for the
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rehoming of cockatiels
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CF address the needs
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About the Author
Linda S. Rubin is an aviculturist, lecturer and avian educator of 30
years, with an international byline in avicultural magazines around the
world and author of several books at www.CockatielsPlusParrot s.com.
She is the cockatiel expert columnist for Bird Talk’s website,
BirdChannel.com, she serves on the board of directors of the American
Federation of Aviculture, Inc. and is the founding president of the
Cockatiel Foundation, Inc. Linda is a certified panel judge for the
Cockatiel Foundation, and the Society of Parrot Breeders & Exhibitors,
judging shows throughout the US, Puerto Rico and Canada since 1984.

Breeding QUESTIONS
COCKATIELS EGGS & BREEDING
COPYRIGHT © 2007 LINDA S. RUBIN
www.BirdChannel.com Cockatiel Expert
CF President & Panel Judge
Certified Avian Specialist, Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council
"All Rights Reserved"