cockatiels are easy to breed, but it is important to make sure that you are able to find homes for the birds you breed.Before you start, you need to make sure the male and female cockatiels are suitable for breeding and that the birds have everything they need.
Step 1: Make sure your cockatiels are old enough.
The male and female cockatiel should be at least 18 months old.Younger females may experience problems like egg binding and younger birds may not take good care of their babies.Egg binding occurs when the eggs become stuck in the cloaca.This could lead to death.
Step 2: The pair is not related.
Birds that are related have a higher chance of having weak babies.If you don't know if your birds are related, contact the person who bred them to find out.If they are related, do not breed them.
Step 3: The birds should be inspected for signs of good health.
Before you decide to breed to cockatiels, it is a good idea to bring your birds to the vet for a checkup.It will help to protect against diseases and defects in your birds.Weight is indicative of health in cockatiels.Bullish.Being overweight increases the chances of infertility in both genders.If you don't know if a cockatiel is overweight, try to feel its breastbone.The breastbone is overweight if you can't feel it.Underweight.It's possible that your bird has a disease or that one bird is preventing the other from eating.Before you start breeding your cockatiels, find out what is causing your bird to be too small.
Step 4: Not all cockatiels are good parents.
If the parents treat the babies poorly, you may have to hand raise them.Before you breed baby cockatiels, make sure you have the time and energy to hand raise them.
Step 5: 12 hours of natural or bright artificial light per day.
The cockatiels need a decent amount of light in order to breed.Make sure that your cockatiels have a source of natural or bright artificial light.
Step 6: Feed your birds.
Ensuring that your birds are eating well is important before breeding.A balanced diet of food is meant for cockatiels.Ensuring that both cockatiels have equal access to food and water dishes is important.Extra dishes of food and water can be added if one bird is guarding the food.Soft foods such as greens, pasta, cooked rice, and moist wheat bread are good to give your cockatiels.
Step 7: Put your breeding pair together.
Your cockatiels will need more space after their young have hatched.The cage that you put your cockatiel pair into should be 6 feet by 3 feet.You can place the pair into their enclosure a few weeks before you give them a nest box so they can get to know each other.To give the couple the privacy and quiet they will need to breed, brood, hatch and raise their young, place the cage in a quiet part of the house.
Step 8: A nest box can be created.
After the pair has been together for at least two weeks and they are getting along well, you will need to give them a nest box.Material is one of the things to consider when choosing a nest box.There are many different types of nest boxes.Cockatiels will chew on the entrance of wood to make it their own.There is a size.A small box is sufficient for breeding cockatiels.There is a rear access door.If you want to check on the chick without disturbing the hen, some boxes have a rear access door.There is bedding.Parents of cockatiel will use bedding to make a nest.The best materials to use are uncolored paper and pine shavings.The oils in cedar shavings can kill or hurt the chick.
Step 9: The male cockatiel has a nest.
When the male starts preparing the nest, you will know that your cockatiels are ready to mate.The male will gnaw on the opening of the nest box to enlarge it.The bedding material will be arranged in a way that he likes.He will allow the female to enter when he makes the box the way he wants it to be.
Step 10: The signs of sex can be seen.
The male cockatiel will do a dance when it is time to mate.He will bob his head, hop around, and sing during this dance.Birds grooming each other is something you will notice.The female will crouch down when she is ready to mate.It is possible for the male to mate with her.Mating can take up to a minute and the male will fly away.After having sex, the female cockatiel should lay her eggs.
Step 11: The parents should be allowed to brood their eggs.
The parents will take turns brooding the eggs, but the female will sit on them most of the time.Both parents expose a bit of bare skin by plucking out some of their own feathers.The parents do this so that their bare skin can make contact with the eggs.She will lay eggs for a week before she is ready to fertilize them.She will lay an egg once every 48 hours until she has laid at least two to eight eggs.The male cockatiel will give the female food while she broods the eggs.
Step 12: The nest should be left alone.
The eggs will hatch after 21 days.Try not to disturb the new family if you take a quick peek at the nest box to make sure there are no dead or distressed chick.The parents and babies should have some privacy.When they are about eight to 10 weeks old, cockatiels won't begin the process of eating without a parent.You may want to separate males and females from each other at this point.The best way to prevent unwanted babies is to separate male and female chicks.
Step 13: It's a good idea to reduce breeding activity.
After your cockatiels have had sex and produced offspring, you may want to prevent them from doing so again.There are a few things you can do.Light should be decreased.Providing less light will make breeding more difficult.Reducing the amount of light that your cockatiels receive can be done.This will make it less likely that your cockatiels will mate.The nest box needs to be removed.You can remove the nest box from the cage once you have finished using it.Soft foods should be eliminated.Birds don't like pasta, beans, and moist bread.Make sure you give your birds plenty of food.