Page Title

Q. My son got up this morning & noticed that our tiel
had laid an egg. The egg was on the bottom of the
cage and there was a little dent or bump on it. I was
wondering if we should keep it and hope for the best or
throw it out?

The male is sitting on the egg more than she is, and I
don't know if that means that the egg is OK or not. How
long does it take before you can tell if it's a good egg?

A. Without actually seeing the egg, I can only venture a
guess, but it sounds as though the egg is damaged
and unlikely to hatch. This is also probably the reason
why you found it on the cage floor. Cockatiels
instinctively act to remove any “worthless” eggs and lay
another to replace the one they lost. This is nature’s
way of preserving the gene pool by increasing the
odds of survival of the offspring when eggs are lost
due to predation or accident.

It is common for inexperienced cockatiel pairs to fail to
sit eggs tightly. Cockatiels are very sensitive to noise.
They frighten easily, which can lead to damaged eggs
when they panic and jump up and down. An old trick of
budgie breeders was to paint a hairline fracture with
clear nail polish, allowing it to dry before replacing the
egg. This worked once for me, however, it all depends
upon the extent of the damage. The risk of frightening
the pair further when eggs are returned to the nest
must also be weighed.

Male cockatiels share in incubation duties, sitting eggs
in the morning and into the early afternoon until the
female returns. Many cockatiels will not sit the full time
until the second or third egg appears. Inexperienced
pairs might have several “practice nests” before they
become successful at incubating eggs full time.

Candle eggs by the fifth day when they show the first
signs of fertility, which will appear as a red spot with
wavy lines resembling a spider, which is the heart
pumping blood through the veins.

Never remove cockatiel eggs unless damaged, or
broken, because the female will always lay additional
eggs to make up for the loss and frequent removal of
eggs can trigger excessive egg-laying. Allow birds to
choose when to abandon their eggs.

Because egg-laying is a drain on the female’s calcium
reserves, offer a fresh supply of cuttlebone, which
provides the necessary calcium to form the outer egg
shell. Without adequate calcium, soft-shelled eggs,
osteoporosis (making birds vulnerable to multiple
fractures and broken bones), or life-threatening
peritonitis can result.

"Providing Resources
to the
Cockatiel Community"

The Cockatiel
Foundation, founded in
June 2007, began out
of a growing need in
the avicultural
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
Cockatiel Adoption &
Placement Program
necessary for the
placement and
rehoming of cockatiels
to new, permanent
"forever" homes.

CF address the needs
of our Youth Members
in the CF Youth &
Education Program
developed for
tomorrows' next
generation of cockatiel
aviculturists.

Additional special
interest programs
include:
Companion Care
Nutrition
Avian Medicine
Hobby Breeding
Professional Breeding
Color Mutations
Genetics
Exhibition
and more ...

The Cockatiel
Foundation serves all
cockatiel owners needs
- from breeders,
exhibitors, and pet
companion bird owners
- to cockatiel adoption,
placement and youth
education for
tomorrows cockatiel
afficianados. Please
read our Membership
benefits and peruse
the website.

When you join as a CF
Member, you will have
access to the Members'
Only Area.

COME JOIN US!

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
DAMAGED COCKATIEL EGGS

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"