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Birds--General/broken fertile cockatiel eggs
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Question
My cockatiel have been breeding for about 2 and a half weeks now. I regretfully admit being a novice at this, so when I tried to candle the eggs to see if they were fertile 2 of the eggs were damaged. One was gone. The other had a crack and seeping reddish fluid. I put that one back. I also noticed that 2 more eggs were slightly dented. The male wouldn't let the female back in the nestbox right away and then she only stayed for 20 minutes. I am heartbroken and I don't know what to do. Will they possibly reject the rest of the eggs? There are 3 eggs left that I believe are still fertile. Do you think there is still hope?
Thank you in advance,
Tracey
Hi, Tracey. Thanks for posting!
Any cracked or damaged eggs will not survive. Remove and destroy these eggs. Male tiels usually incubate eggs during the day and females during the night (they take 12 hour shifts). If the female was trying to get in the nesting box during the day, this could be why the male wouldn't let her in. They shouldn't reject any of the rest of the eggs as long as they aren't damaged. They may lay more eggs to make up for those that were lost, but they might not. There's still hope as long as the other 3 eggs aren't disturbed.
Chrys
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 8 | Clarity of Response = 8 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | I appreciate your response. As you could tell from my frantic email (and grammical errors) that I was an emotional wreck. The incident occured at night so I don't think that the male was keeping her out for that reason, at least in this situation. I say that because when I checked on them the next morning the damaged egg was completely cracked open, it's as almost as if the male did it because he knew something was wrong. The good news is that the female and the male were both laying on the eggs that morning and with a whole bunch of prayers everything seems to be going good. So hopefully we should have a few healthy baby birds within the next 2 weeks. Again, Thank you so much for responding to my email, that meant a lot to me. Have a fantastic New Year!!! Tracey L. | ||
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Answers by Expert:
Chrys Meatyard
Expertise
I`ve been raising/breeding/handfeeding/selling parrots for over 20 years (parakeets/budgies, cockatiels, 6 subspecies of conures, parrotlets, amazons, lovebirds, etc.). I've been published in "Budgies" and "Cockatiels" offered by Bow Tie Productions, and have written avian articles for publication in England. I can provide advice in raising healthy birds, handfeeding/weaning babies, some health problems (although I'm NOT an avian veterinarian), nail/beak/wing clipping, general husbandry, etc. I also have experience with racing/showing homing pigeons. I cannot diagnose specific illness over this website. If you suspect your bird is ill or if you have an emergency, contact an avian veterinarian or emergency pet clinic ASAP.
Experience
Experience: Over 20 years raising parrots and over 13 years raising pigeons. Organizations: Currently, American Racing Pigeon Union and American Federation of Aviculture. Prior member Miami Valley Bird Club, Southern Ohio Pigeon Association, National Cockatiel Society, Miami Valley Sportsman's Club, others. Publications: Monthly newsletters of bird clubs.
Publications
I've been published in "Budgies" and "Cockatiels" offered by Bow Tie Productions, and have written avian articles for publication in England.
Education/Credentials
American Federation of Aviculture, completed Level I course, Fundamentals of Aviculture. Keeping/breeding parrots and other birds for over 20 years.
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