Cockatiel breeding is easy, but you must ensure you have suitable homes for the babies and that you can breed properly. Before starting, it is crucial to verify that the male and female cockatiels are prepared for breeding and have all the necessary provisions for nesting their babies.
For the breeding cockatiels and their babies to stay healthy, it is important for the male and female to be unrelated, disease-free, without birth defects and aged between 1.5 and 5 years. Cockatiels are members of the cockatoo family, recognized for their friendly and sociable nature, as well as their whistle abilities, particularly among the male cockatiels.
Selecting the Right Pair for Cockatiel Breeding
Ensure Cockatiels for Breeding are of a Proper Age
Your male and female cockatiel should be a minimum of 18 months old for breeding purposes. Younger females might encounter issues such as egg binding, and younger birds might also not provide adequate care for their offspring.
Egg binding occurs when the eggs get trapped in the cloaca. This may cause a dangerous infection that could be death in the end.
Make Sure that Breeding Pair is Not Related
Birds that are closely related are more likely to produce babies that are weak or deformed. If you are uncertain about the relationship between your birds, reach out to the breeder of your cockatiels to determine if they are related. Do not reproduce them if they are family members.
Examine Cockatiels for Signs of Good Health
Before to breeding cockatiels, it is advisable to take your birds to an avian veterinarian to ensure they are healthy before beginning the breeding process. This will aid in safeguarding your birds from any illnesses or abnormalities they might develop. The weight of cockatiels is also a reliable indicator of their overall health.
Excessive weight: Carrying excess weight raises the likelihood of infertility in men and women and can also lead to egg retention in females. If you are uncertain about whether a cockatiel is overweight, attempt to touch your bird’s keel or breastbone. If you are unable to locate the breastbone, it means the individual is overweight.
Underweight: Having a low weight could suggest that your bird is sick or that one bird is monopolizing the food dish and not allowing the other to eat. Determine the reason for your bird’s low weight before beginning the breeding process for your cockatiels.
Remember That Not Every Cockatiel Becomes a Good Parent
If the parents neglect or mistreat the babies, you might need to raise them by hand. If you decide to breed your cockatiels, be sure you have the time and energy to raise the babies by hand.
Getting Ready to Breed
Provide 10-12 Hours of Natural or Artificial Light
Cockatiels can breed throughout the year; however, sufficient light is necessary for breeding. Ensure your cockatiels are exposed to either natural or bright artificial light for 10-12 hours daily.
Give Cockatiels A Healthy Diet
Before mating, it is crucial to make sure that your birds are consuming food properly. Provide them with a well-rounded meal specifically for cockatiels. Regularly monitor your birds to ensure that both cockatiels can easily reach the food and water bowls. If there is a bird protecting the food and water, you can provide additional containers of food and water. Some recommended foods for your cockatiels are:
Mix of seeds for cockatiels
Soft foods like greens, pasta, cooked beans, moist wheat bread
Sprouted seeds
Mineral blocks or cuttlebone as a calcium supply
Supplements like spirulina, Echinacea, and Prozyme
Pure fresh water (replace it multiple times daily)
Place Breeding Pair in a Large Cage
Your cockatiels will require a sufficient amount of space for breeding and even more area once their offspring have hatched. Ensure the enclosure for your pair of cockatiels is 6 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. You can introduce the pair to their enclosure a couple of weeks prior to offering a nest box so they can familiarize themselves with each other and prepare for breeding. Position the cage in a calm location within your residence to provide the pair with the necessary privacy and silence for breeding, nesting, hatching, and caring for their offspring.
Set up a Nest Box
Once the pair has been in each other’s company for a minimum of fourteen days and are getting along, you should proceed to provide them with a nest box. When selecting a nest box, there are several factors to take into account:
Various options for nest boxes are accessible, such as metal, plastic, and wooden varieties. Wood is a suitable option as cockatiels like to nibble on the opening in order to personalize it to their liking.
For breeding Cockatiels, a one-foot-by-one-foot cage works best.
Certain nesting boxes have a back entry door to allow for observing the chicks without bothering them.
Cockatiel parents utilize bedding to construct a secure and cozy nest for their young. The top choices for nesting materials are pine shavings with low dust or plain paper options such as newspaper or white paper towels. Avoid using cedar shavings as they contain oils that may harm or be fatal to the chicks.
Breeding Cockatiels
Observe the Male Cockatiel Building the Nest
When the male cockatiel begins to prepare the nest, you will realize that your cockatiels are getting ready to mate. The male will chew on the nest box entrance to make it bigger to his liking. He will also organize the bedding material to his preference. Once he has arranged the box to his liking, he will then permit the female to come in.
Watch for Mating Behaviors
During the mating season, the male cockatiel will perform a courtship dance. While dancing, he will move his head up and down, jump around, and sing. You will also see the birds frequently grooming each other. The female will let down her body when she’s ready to mate. This position enables the male to copulate with her. Mating can last for as long as a minute before the male flies off. The female cockatiel is expected to lay her eggs approximately two weeks post-mating.
Let the Parents Care for the Eggs
Both parents will alternate in keeping the eggs warm, but the mother will spend the majority of the time sitting on them. You might observe that both parents remove some of their own feathers to reveal a small patch of skin. This is called as a “brood patch,” and parents do it so that the bare skin comes into contact with the eggs.
It takes approximately three weeks for the eggs to hatch, but she will continue laying eggs for about a week before she is prepared to start incubating them. She will produce an egg approximately every 48 hours until she has laid a group of around two to eight eggs. The male cockatiel cares for the female cockatiel by bringing her food while she sits on the eggs.
Leave the Nest Alone
The eggs will hatch once the 21-day incubation period has passed. You may glance quickly at the nest box to check for any deceased or upset chicks, but otherwise, avoid disturbing the new family. Allow the parents and babies to have some time and privacy for bonding.
Cockatiels will not start eating without the help of a parent until they reach approximately eight to 10 weeks of age. At this stage, you might consider segregating male and female chicks to avoid them mating. To avoid unwanted offspring, it is advisable to separate male and female chicks as they may breed if the circumstances allow.
Minimize Breeding Activity
Once your cockatiels have reproduced and had chicks, you may consider taking measures to avoid further breeding. There are several different ways to avoid mating. Reducing the amount of daily light will hinder reproduction. One option is to decrease the light exposure for your cockatiels from 10-12 hours to approximately eight hours daily. This simulation will recreate winter conditions, reducing the likelihood of your cockatiels mating.
You may remove the nest box from the cage once your cockatiels have finished using it for nesting and rearing their young. Avoid giving your birds soft foods like pasta, beans, and wet bread. Nonetheless, ensure that you continue to provide your birds with ample nourishing meals.
Breeding Tips
After the chicks hatch, wait around one to two weeks before beginning to handle and create bonds with them, being careful not to distress their mother.
Before trying to breed your own cockatiels, make sure to read extensively and seek advice from experienced breeders.
Locate a veterinarian who has experience or a passion for avian medicine in case any issues occur.
When getting ready to mate your cockatiels, it is important to think about the breeders’ health, their coloring and looks (and which colors you desire in their offspring), and their personalities. To produce specific mutations, you must understand fundamental genetics principles and their impact on mutations. You must also set up a cage that provides enough exercise and space for breeding, brooding, fledging, and weaning. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a suitable nest box for the breeding pair and up to approximately six babies as they develop.
