Egg Laying Behavior & Problems

Part 1 of 4 parts: Aggressive Temperament

By LINDA S. RUBIN
NCS Panel Judge & former NCS Genetics Consultant
Reprinted from the August 2000 issue of BIRD TIMES magazine
All Rights Reserved by the Author

Copyright Notice

With the arrival of warm weather you may have noticed your companion male cockatiel has become downright aggressive towards you, even to the point of biting. Or, in similar mode, your usually sweet cockatiel hen has become quite moody and developed into quite a grouch! Don’t take it personally, it’s to be expected, especially if your cockatiel has just celebrated its first birthday and become sexually mature. For good or ill, these are nature’s hormones coming into play and the rightful passage of your cockatiel coming into full sexuality. In other words, your cockatiel is simply looking for a mate because it is driven by nature to reproduce.

Although cockatiels are nonseasonal breeders, which means their breeding schedule does not have to coincide with a particular time of year as with most other parrots, cockatiels are influenced by weather, specifically by the amount of heat and humidity they are exposed to.

In their native Australia, cockatiels live in the arid interior in desert conditions and they reproduce during the rainy season when the increased rain showers provide an abundance of seed pods in the milky stage, which they use as food to feed their young. The increased humidity and rain also allow the parents to bathe frequently, providing additional moisture when the parents return to incubate their eggs. The length of daylight hours, or photolight period, also provides enough time for parent cockatiels to seek out an adequate amount of food so they may digest and regurgitate it back to their young.

What does all this have to do with the moodiness of your pet cockatiel? Your companion is simply responding to the many factors that would prepare it for raising a family on its own. The primary factor is its age, which can from eight to fourteen months, with twelve months as the typical age when sexual maturity is achieved. Although some birds may mature fast, e.g., six to eight months, it does not necessarily mean they have the ability or maturity to successfully raise a family.  Rather, raising a family at too young an age can endanger the health of birds that should be allowed to wait until they are old enough to safely reproduce. Most reputable breeders will not set up a pair until they are a minimum of twelve to eighteen months old.

Next, increased daylight or photolight period, such as the increasing light when spring and summer weather comes into play can trick our pets into thinking it is the beginning of the breeding season. Additionally, increased temperature, adequate humidity, an abundance of food, and finally – what the bird thinks is an appropriate nesting site and/or mate – all contribute to throwing our growing adolescent pets into this early adult phase of their lives.

Male aggression may be more obvious to observe, since males clearly sing and strut about, showing off by opening their wings at the shoulder, bowing, and singing a warbling, perpetual song for minutes at a time. They’ll serenade shiny objects at a drop of a hat, from cage wire, mirrors, and other gleaming items, to singing for their owners and other objects they may be attached to. Much to many owner’s surprise, these delightful sessions may end with an unwelcome hiss or hard, painful nip to the hand as it seems for no apparent reason, but it is all part of the struggle of raging hormones and frustration.

It appears the more tame a bird is, the less fear it has of its owner and so the more likely the occurrence of a painful bite. It would be wise to keep the bird away from your face at this time, or young children whose sudden movements might result in a painful bite. Frustrated males denied the opportunity to reproduce have been known to attempt to copulate with their perch by rubbing their tails in rhythmic movements while loudly singing and chortling. There is no danger to this activity and owners should not be alarmed by it.

Hens may appear more grouchy, or focused on looking for an actual nesting site, especially if they are preparing to lay eggs. They usually begin by shredding paper at the bottom of their cage, arranging a corner so that it is clean of debris, to deposit eggs laid one at a time on an every other day schedule.

In fact, both hens and males may tunnel under or shred their cage paper. If allowed outside the cage, it is not unusual for a hen to scout out her own nesting site. These sites (which are appropriate from the hen’s point of view and not necessarily yours), may range, for example, from an empty area of a bookcase, to an empty shoe, to a corner of an upper shelf. The author even heard of a hen laying a clutch of eggs under her owner’s bed! Prior to laying eggs, hens will often lie flat over the perch with their tails raised high in the air, singing a soft warbling song, which sound like little cries. This song is normally used to signal males that they are receptive and ready to mate.

In general, it is more important to watch a hen during breeding behavior, especially should she lay eggs, since it is imperative that enough calcium is offered in the diet. The outer shell of each egg is composed of calcium and if the amount of calcium in the diet is inadequate, the hen will draw the necessary calcium from her own bones putting herself at risk for disease. Providing fresh cuttlefish bone (soft side facing towards the bird), dark green, leafy green vegetables high in calcium, and other supplements to the diet, if necessary, is essential in order to maintain good health.  Chronic Egglaying

Part II will continue with coping with egg laying and the cycle of breeding.

Linda S. Rubin is an avicultural writer, editor, speaker, and judge; and an aviculturist for 25 years. She is vice president of the North American Parrot Society, Inc. and public relations director or the American Federation of Aviculture, Inc. She’s self-published four books on cockatiel genetics and color mutations; and is the author of Multiple Bird Households; the Ultimate Parrot Guide, and a brand new edition of The Encyclopedia of Cockatiels due out in 2002. She may be reached at: lsr@cockatielsplusparrots.com.