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Breeding Cockatiels
The breeding season is the most exciting time of year as far as I
am concerned. The delight of the eggs hatching and the discovery
of what the chicks will turn out to be makes every day full of
surprises. There are also the disappointments of eggs not hatching
or chicks dying early in their lives. Anyway, I mustn't get too
far ahead of myself …..
My nesting boxes are made from plywood and are about 9 inches by 9
inches by about 14 inches deep. The front of the box has an
entrance hole which , no matter what size you make it, the
cockatiels will modify to suit themselves. At the bottom of the
hole a perch is fitted. On the inside leading up to the entrance
hole I attach a piece of netting to make it easier for the
youngsters to climb out when the time comes.
I have read many articles saying which material is best for
putting in the box but, for myself, I have found that sawdust is
quite satisfactory and can be easily changed between broods if
necessary. My boxes have flaps on the side to allow access and
enable me to keep an eye on the progress.
I generally watch both the weather and the birds to gauge the best
time to put the boxes out. The birds are in full breeding colours
and voice from about end of February onwards but, as I put the
nest boxes outside in the aviaries, I tend to wait until the
weather is a bit warmer. Usually around the end of March is the
best time for this part of the world although it can differ from
area to area in the UK.
My birds are in established pairs so there is no problem with
fighting and, surprisingly enough, they tend to use the same
positioned box each year too. This year could be a bit different
as my white-cheeked cock has shown an interest in a bonded hen
instead of the new hen bought to replace his dead mate. Careful
watching will be required to make sure he doesn't interfere with
the other pair. Watch this space as they say!!
Until the boxes are put out it is a case of feeding well and
looking for any problems amongst the birds. Also at this time I am
able to fairly accurately sex the chicks left from last year by
their tail feather colour. The cocks change from being barred to
plain grey and that, coupled with their vocal abilities, gives a
fairly accurate indication. I'm afraid that until now I find it
difficult to be certain of their sex. There are indications but I
would not stake my life on it. By watching their behaviour I can
hazard a guess but, unlike some other breeders, I wouldn't
guarantee it until around now.
My cockatiels lay between 3 and 6 white eggs, one each day then
when the last is laid, they sit on them for about 21 days.
At this time it is important to have a good supply of water as the
birds like to bath more than usual to transfer moisture to the
eggs. The bird bath can sometimes need to be topped up twice a day
if they are all sitting at once.
The cocks share the duty of sitting on the eggs and usually the
hen sits all night with the cock taking over in the morning to
allow her to feed and bathe.
Usually only one egg a day will hatch which makes it easier to
keep a check on the chicks. I start looking in the nest boxes
about a couple of days before I think the first is due to hatch
and as my birds are fairly steady, it doesn't disturb them at all
and accustoms them to me being there. If there is a bigger clutch
of eggs the last to hatch should be watched carefully as their
bigger siblings will tend to get all of the food from the parents.
For me the most exciting part of the hatching is to see what the
chicks turn out to be. The white-cheeked chicks are all covered
with white down which makes them easy to distinguish from the
red-cheeked because they always have yellow down. The other thing
to look for is the eye colour. Although the eyes are closed when
they hatch the colour is visible through the skin. If the eyes are
red then the chick is a lutino and if the eyes are dark then the
chick is normal. Needless to say the normals are higher in number
but my birds throw lutinos as well.
In truth I can't say that they are appealing because they resemble
dinosaurs and the feet and eyes look like they should belong to an
eagle or some similar sized bird. Still, they become very
beautiful through time so have patience.
In the cockatiel aviary are 4 breeding pairs and 5 of last year's chicks.
Pair 1
Lutino hen and Normal cock.
The hen is home bred and the cock is an original bought-in.
She is called Klingon's baby because her mother used to hang on to the wire netting most of the time.
Pair 2
Lutino hen and Normal cock
Both are home bred birds. This is their first year of breeding.
Pair 3
White cheeked pearl hen and white cheeked normal cock
The cock is an original bought-in bird while the hen is a replacement for one that died last year.
I also have a lutino cock bird with no mate as yet.
2001 Chicks
There are 2 sets of 2 chicks from different parents. All are normal and beginning to show the tail colouring to denote their sex. Hopefully they will have found good homes before the breeding season begins. The other chick is a lutino and has a problem with its tail. The feathers are not growing properly and until it can be sorted out it will stay here. It may be kept as stock as it is a lovely bird otherwise.
2002 Chicks
This year seems to have been the year of lutinos. Some years some colours are more prevalent than others as is the case this year. First brood consisted of 1 normal, 1 lutino and 1 silvery-grey. Second brood was two lutinos and third brood was 1 lutino. All but two have moved on to new homes, I have a lutino which has been plucked, I suspect, so needs to regrow feathers before leaving and the silver-grey is passing through between homes. If the lutino is a hen I may keep it as a mate for my lone lutino cock but I will have to wait until I can fully tell it's sex for sure.
It hasn't been the best year for breeding but all of the surviving chicks are strong a good looking birds. The white cheek pair have not had any viable eggs at all but have reared someone else's chick so they will have another chance next year before I decide to do something. They are sitting on two eggs as I write so there is still time.
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| Lutino Cock |
Lutino Hen (Klingon's Baby) |
White Cheeked Pair |
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| Lutino Hen on Nest box |
Lutino Hen with her normal
chick. |
2002 Season
I have started out the year with three breeding pairs.
Pair 1 - Lutino hen (Klingon's baby) and normal cock.
Pair 2 - Lutino hen (Tail-less) and normal cock.
Pair 3 - White cheek pearl hen and white cheek normal cock.
I also have one lone lutino cock who has lost his mate but will
get a mate from this round of breeding for next year.
Pair - 1
They are on their second brood. Only one egg was viable from the
first hatch, it is a normal grey and has been out of the nest for
some time now. This second brood was three lutino chicks but one
subsequently died probably because it was really small but the
rest are growing nicely and their eyes are starting to open now
(14 July)
Pair - 2
This lutino hen is my own breeding from last year but she had a
bad tail so was kept. Her mate is also a home bred bird but from
three years ago. She laid and hatched 5 eggs but two were far too
small to survive and so three remain, one normal grey and two
lutinos. They are beginning to feather up at this point (14 July)
Pair - 3
The hen of this pair I bought in to replace one which died last
year. They have bonded and she lays and they incubate diligently.
The first round, of three eggs, one hatched but was born dead
because it was way before it's time. The others were infertile.
Second round was four eggs and after sitting the first one hatched
and imagine my surprise when it had yellow down. (White cheek
chicks are born with white down) The other eggs came to nothing
again but the pair are rearing the single chick. I suspect that
someone else has popped in and laid an egg but I'll reserve
judgement for the moment.
Third and final round is two eggs (one placed in box by me as it was laid on the floor) and one of their own. Don't know if they will have time to hatch as it is now into October and getting cold but if they hatch I can at least help out by hand feeding as necessary.
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