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Post by Kim on Feb 27, 2011 20:24:01 GMT -5
I tried mating my cockatiels a few months ago. I've had great success with budgies in the past, so I thought I'd try it with cockatiels. The pair has been together for months, and are clearly bonded, the cock was over 2 years old, the hen over a year old. They showed great interest in the nest box, going in and out, spending a couple weeks preparing it. They would be next to each other on the perch, sides touching, the cock would be singing to her, and she would be sitting on the perch with her back horizontal, her head against his chest. But they would separate without mounting - he wouldn't even try mounting her.
They are the only 2 birds in the cage. She laid a total of 9 eggs and they took turns sitting on the eggs, diligently, for about 5 weeks. All the eggs were blanks. Eventually when they were out of the cage and out of eyesight, I took the nestbox off, to prevent her from laying more eggs. I want to try breeding them again next fall, but how do you tell a cockatiel he has to mount his mate for it to be successful?
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Post by marieandchirpy on Feb 27, 2011 21:42:42 GMT -5
There are two possible explanations:
One is they both might be female. In other words are you sure he is a male? If not then I would suggest checking out his dna to verify the gender of the bird.
The second one is the male might not know how to mate with the female. If that is the case then try giving them some more time and they'll figure it out.
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Post by Kim on Feb 28, 2011 16:33:33 GMT -5
Thanks for your response!
The male hasn't had a DNA test, but the owner I bought him from said she had years of experience with cockatiels (she had about 10), and she said based on the banding on his tail and how vocal he is (he's always singing or chirping whereas my female hardly ever makes a sound) that he's a male and she was 99% sure. I may just get a DNA test for him though, to rule that out as a cause, and be 100% positive he's male.
If it turns out he is in fact, a male, how long would it take him to figure out how to mate? He's already 2 years old.
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Post by marieandchirpy on Feb 28, 2011 17:44:45 GMT -5
It will take him some time to figure it out. Both the male and female are still in the same cage, so they are gonna try mate with each other and eventually he will figure it out.
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john
New Member
Posts: 47
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Post by john on Feb 28, 2011 21:56:27 GMT -5
Only being 1 & 2 years old is like a pre or early teenager. They might just be playing doctor. But we all know what that leads to. They will get it right before long. A little practice and you will have a house full of little ones.
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Post by dreamcatchers on Mar 1, 2011 12:31:01 GMT -5
I am sorry, I may have misread but you said the bird has banding on his tail? If so, he is a she.
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Post by marieandchirpy on Mar 1, 2011 15:01:31 GMT -5
I just did a google search on banding on Cockatiel feathers and all info says if it has banding on it's tail then it's a female.
Kim stated the bird does whistle which males do, but there have been some exceptions of female Cockatiels whistling.
Kim I strongly recommend having the bird's dna tested be 100% positive of it's gender.
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Post by dreamcatchers on Mar 1, 2011 16:42:21 GMT -5
Yes, banded on the tail after the first molt is female. Also, whistling and talking are not specific to males. I have answered in a previous thread somewhere about a female I have. She does ALL the male whistles, head bobs, talks constantly and she DNA's female and laid eggs. I'd recommend DNA testing as well.
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Post by marieandchirpy on Mar 1, 2011 21:20:46 GMT -5
Yeah females have the capability to whistle and talk, but for some reason most of them don't.
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Post by White Wolf on Aug 6, 2011 20:30:49 GMT -5
Kim, what color are the two birds you have? With the exception pied [which do NOT follow the rules] a bird can almost always be accurately sexed without DNA. That said there are always those "oops" birds, lol.
Typically all hens have bars under their tails, spots under their wings, and duller less clear head feathers. This is even true of lutino's, although much harder to detect by the novice.
Although 9 eggs is typically a sure sign you have two hens, it is not always. I recently had a pair who laid 13 eggs and between them, another pair and my incubator, we managed to hatch and raise all 13.
There are several reasons why they have not "connected' to produce fertile eggs and once it is determined weather or not the bird in question is a male or female, there are several things you can do to help.
You will not always see the male mount the female, so if you don't see or hear them [once you hear them you will know what I'm talking about, lol] they could still have bred, or at least attempted to.
You can pluck feathers from their vent to get better connection and penetration, you can spray them with a mist of water daily so they think its "breeding" season. You can give them extra food and calcium is a must, to keep the hen from loosing too much during egg laying.
If this is a male, it may take him some time to figure it out, like teenagers they don't just get it right the first time. Don't be too surprised or disappointed either if they don't figure out how to take care of their first or even second clutch. When I breed my birds I make sure one is experienced paired up with one who needs to learn. For best results pay attention, make notes, and learn what you can while its going on. Also remember that every persons experience is going to be different. Someone who has one pet bird for 10 years may give a very different answer based on their experience than a breeder who has 50 pairs and 25 or more years experience. It doesn't mean either of them are right or wrong, only that they experienced something different. I wish you the very best and hope that you can get this figured out so you can get them busy trying for their next clutch. Blessings Ruth
NCS State Coordinator for Maine.
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Post by rebeccaavila on Mar 22, 2012 5:07:14 GMT -5
I have had similar issues with my tiels. The first time they bred, only one hatched and came out just beautiful, talking, tame and perfect. After that, the tiels have tried to breed several times but are always blank.
The mother was not very attentive to the baby but the father was so it survived. I know he's male because the one hatched. He is 5 now, so it isn't an immaturity issue.
They sit on the dud eggs faithfully caring for them. I just don't understand why they have forgotten how to mate. It doesn't seem possible, but it's still what is happening.
Anyone have a clue... because they won't stop laying the duds, box or no. I am concerned that her obsession with laying dud eggs is bad for her. I want her to either be too busy caring for a clutch or not laying at all. Even if I take the dud eggs, she just lays more straight away. When I take the box, she lays them in the bottom of the cage. They mate constantly, but no more chicks....
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Post by marieandchirpy on Mar 22, 2012 15:48:57 GMT -5
I don't have much advise to offer. If you are on facebook, trying posting on the National Cockatiel Society's facebook page. People there should be able to answer your question.
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Tanya w Mariahs Aviary
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Post by Tanya w Mariahs Aviary on Oct 12, 2012 11:11:02 GMT -5
Well, I agree with what most of what was said but have you ever checked it's pelvic bones? Both tiels are mature so this should be fairly easy. I've never had to DNA a cockatiel mostly because I hand raise mine so once I see the behavior, then the color (bars, etc) then by 7 to 9 weeks I check the pelvic bones and I've never been wrong. When I purchase tiels from anyone I always check the tiel in front of them regardless of what they say because they have been wrong. So because your female it's easier, get a wash cloth, grab the tiel, flip him/her onto his back, then with your pointer finger rub along the pubic bones.. take a second to gently feel them and then see if they are pointy and close together or if you have a little room in between for your finger and not as pointy. If it's a female you should be able to fit your finger in between because she has to have room to pass an egg... an adult male will have no room for your finger so you'll just feel to parallel bones close together. I hope this helps you.. Unfortunately some people will lie to sell two cockatiels quickly... Good Luck!
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