Do you have a male and a female? This is the first thing required for breeding cockatiels. Your pair needs to be in proper condition and be of the correct age. Do you have the time required to raise a cockatiel family? Raising any babies whether they are humans or cockatiels takes lots of time and effort. You will also have to find good new homes for your babies once they are weaned. These homes need to be good loving homes, not to just anybody! They must be fit to take care of a baby you helped bring life to.

When choosing breeding birds, choose adult birds that are of breeding age and condition. Cockatiels are capable of breeding at 5-6 months of age, how ever you should wait until they are at least 18 months of age to ensure they are mentally and physically prepared to raise young. Birds that are bred to early will most likely abandon eggs or be poor parents. Birds should be in the very best condition. Have birds checked out by a good avian vet and always follow the vets directions before that of anyone else. Feed birds top quality feed and make sure they always have fresh water available.

Cockatiels can be bred indoors all year round. Cockatiels breed in spring to early autumn in wild, when conditions are most preferable. Abundant food, lots of rain, and more day light hours affect when cockatiels breed. These conditions can be provided all year for year long breeding. Breeders should never be allowed to raise more than 2 clutches per year. Breed outdoors in late spring to mid summer. In warmer climates birds can be bred outdoors all through spring and summer. Breed after the pair have bonded and have settled in. Don’t let breeding pairs begin breeding as soon as they are put together, give them time to bond and settle in first. Letting birds breed before they are bonded could end with fights and parents neglecting eggs.

The breeding cage should be as large as possible. If breeding in cages, provide the largest possible cage you can afford. Find great deals on a varity of breeding cages at: Bird Supplies A minimum cages size should be 18” x 18” x 36”. Nest boxes can be built or bought. After eggs have hatched and baby birds start to grow it can become crowded with babies and parents. Make sure your nest box its at least 12”x12”x12”. It will be up to you to build your own boxes.

Cockatiels don’t spend a lot of time courting. Male cockatiels will make a very distinct call only when mating. Cockatiels will mate several times a day. The male prepares the nest. He will be the first one to enter the nest box. He will make a nest and invite the hen inside. You should expect eggs with in 1-3 weeks after inserting the nest box. Eggs are laid every other day until a clutch of 5-9 eggs are laid. Egg laying is very hard on a hens body so try to keep her as stress free as you can. Make sure you have cuttlebone, which is high in calcium, available for your hen before, during, and after the breeding season.

Try not to disturb the pair. Refrain from looking inside the nest box too many times. Control your excitement! Humidity is very important for eggs to develop properly. Provide a bath for your birds. The hen will get in the bath wetting her front and then sitting on the eggs providing the correct humidity.

Expect eggs to hatch around 18-21 days after being laid. Eggs will hatch about every other day. This is because they are laid every other day. The parents will still stay on the eggs for a few days because the chicks are born naked, blind, and very helpless. Expect hatching to take about 24-36 hours to hatch. Parents will feed and take care of chicks. The parents will feed the chicks so provide plenty of soft foods. If you are planning on hand-feeding your baby birds a good time to pull them is around 14 days. Anytime later than that and your chicks will become too afraid and might not respond to hand feeding.

I hope you have fun with your cockatiels. Thanks for visiting my site.