Help!! My cockatiel has laid its second egg today(Aug 6). The first egg was broken.

[vasanth]

I have a cockatiel pair and they have been mating. Male is named Noddy and Female named Dany. Dany laid its first egg on Aug 2, 2019 but i found it broke at the floor of the cage. The 2nd egg came today Aug 6th, 2019. They are not allowing me to check the breeding box properly. Whenever I try to open the box door they are getting furious so I leave them alone. How to find out if the egg is a fertilized egg? What should I do now? Will there be more eggs?

[maxollie]

Hi, and welcome! Since this is their first breeding experience, it is common for an egg to get broken, but this usually happens out of the breeding box. Sometimes, there is only an egg or two in the clutch/batch, for new pairs. Eggs should be laid every other day. So, it is apparent the first time there was only one egg. That is OK, and no worries.

This time, do not disturb the nest box. Allow them to do their breeding, and their taking care of the nest, and the eggs. If eggs are laid farther apart than two days, then, we consider that a separate clutch. This means that the eggs may not all hatch every other day, as they are laid, but the eggs can still hatch. It takes about 25-28 days for an egg to hatch.

We do sometimes candle the eggs with a pen flashlight, looking inside to see if we can locate an embryo and little red veins in the egg, but candling should not be done for about ten days or so, after the whole clutch is laid. And since your pair are very protective of their nest and box, in my view, I would not try candling, because you run the risk of the hen abandoning her eggs.

I suggest going on line and google search cockatiel breeding and egg laying. There is great info on line. And further, feel welcome to come back, often to ask questions, and give us updates.

[vasanth]

Hey Maxollie,
Thank you so much for your assistance! As per your say, from the second egg it must be considered as a fresh clutch and I must expect more eggs from tomorrow. Am I right?

How to check the eggs after 10 days without making them furious? Is there a way I can use? Thanks in advance.

[maxollie]

With her having her first laying experience, it may be she will only lay the one egg, so if she doesn't lay today, do not worry. Just let her keep the egg in the box. And if she skips a few days and lays one again, we will just extend the days and consider it clutch #3.

I would suggest to wait for awhile to see if she mellows somewhat. If she were to get out of the box, to eat and drink, you could try to carefully remove the egg. Candle it, and see if it is fertile, like I explained above in my prior post. And carefully put it back in the nest box. If you do find it is fertile, then, more than liikely, her eggs will be fertile when you see them mate. But, being new to the experience, , on occasion the egg or eggs may not be fertile.

Even if the egg is not fertile you will need to let her keep the egg, or eggs laid, for at least 30 days, or until she no longer is interested in them. And then abandons them. Those to be laid as yet could be fertile, if you have seen them mating.

Cockatiels usually lay 4-5 eggs in a clutch. Some lay more. But quite honestly, you do not want lots of eggs, because the box will be too small for that many babies.

Please feel free to post updates.

[Birdmanca]

The birds are making it hard for you o check on the eggs. Keep trying. Yes, there very likely will be more eggs from your bird pair. It is wonderful to see baby birds grow up. Good Luck.

[vasanth]

Hey the next egg has come today (AUG 8TH). I have taken a picture of the eggs somehow. But don't want to take them out to check. As per this blog https://www.beautyofbirds.com/cockatielincubation.html , I'm considering the eggs to be fertile based on the shell color. Thanks for your help guys! I will keep you updated.

Pic url - https://photos.app.goo.gl/BMY9QfedWAZqVZm19

[maxollie]

They look great! We will watch for your updates. Good luck!