Cockatiel egg help

[reann]

Does any one know how long cockatiel eggs can go without the hen incubating them when they are due to hatch in a week and are firtle? This is a first of this problem for me so never researched it. Right now I just closed her in the box and let her out every few hours to feed. The pair are great breeders and have never done this before but they act as though they want to breed again with out finishing the first batch. Any info would help. Thanks

[Joel]

Hello Reann,

That is why if one is going to be a responsible breeder one MUST be prepared for any & all possibilities that can go wrong if one allows a male & female to occupy the same cage or engage in "hanky panky" at any time, IMO.

You need to invest in an incubator, set up a brooder, purchase a good thermometer or two, purchase handfeeding instruments & formula and learn how to use everything in advance. I also recommend highly that one sets up a birdy medicine chest and makes the necessary human contacts to help one out in case of emergencies that one just cannot handle one's self for whatever reason. So I now suggest that you quickly try and locate someone, a breeder or hobbyist in your area who is already set up to possibly help you out and those eggs. A local bird pet shop may have that equip. set up in their shop.............. They usually carry simple incubators in animal feed stores that may be in your area so you could probably have one set up in a couple of hours if ya really want to. They are usually used to hatch quail eggs but I have hatched cockatiel eggs in them. You must turn the eggs every few hours and get the temp. set up just right to be successful. Just follow the directions that come with it if you decide to run out and get one now. You could always sell it later when & if you decide to move up to a better one that is much more pricey. You could use the money from these babies to pay for it if you can save them......Good luck...

I would not lock the female in the box because if she doesn't want to incubate for whatever reason then she most likely will not and may even have already cracked or broken the eggs etc........There may be a rare exception when a female might sit on the eggs properly after being locked in the box but I never heard of that. Maybe someone else here will chime in if they have had a successful experience doing that. The female may already know the eggs are no good and that could be why she may have abandoned them or maybe it is just too warm and she can spend extra time out of the box........I recommend you let her out asap and set up the things I told you asap or get the eggs to someone with an incubator and the desire to handfeed from day one unless they have foster pairs already set up.......Those eggs may still be good and maybe not. I would not break them whatever the case until about 10 days after the hatch due date.......Usually the male sits during the day or part of the day so you locking her in all day may prove to be counter-productive.

Anyway, good luck and please prepare for the next time you allow breeding but do all in your power NOW to try and save these possibly good eggs. Please take all I have just said as my trying to help and not as a lecture......Btw, to answer your original question more directly, I am not sure on how long those eggs, if fertile, can last without proper incubation but I'll try to find out and get back to ya. Other factors play into it also such as room temperature (day and night), humidity, etc.........so therefore there is probably not one definitive answer.

[reann]

Hello. I am a breeder and I don't want to lock her in I just put them both in there till I found out if there was a chance or not of them being firtle. This pair I have had a while and have been great breeders with no problems that is why I was puzzled. I have had pairs not nest due to infirtle eggs and then they are removed, but never firtle eggs abandoned expecially to these good parents.. But this was new for my birds. I have a heat lamp and brooder I just wasn't sure if the eggs would be still good. the were chilled when I checked. She warmed them back up and she is out but I will see if she goes back in or not. He is where she is. Both are not incubating for some reason. Maybe she just needs a better break. They were on a break when she layed on the cage bottom...LOL...guess next time they need to be seperated. Thanks for the info. I will keep a post