Cockatiel breeders I need help with my pairs!!!

[Chickensrock10110]

Any cockatiel breeders out there that can help me?

I have 2 pairs of cockatiels that I`ve been trying to breed for 3 years!My problem is that they constantly lay infertile eggs.It`s not just one or two eggs being infertile....It`s the whole clutch!

I feed them a seed based diet but I supplement it with egg food and leaves a few times a week.I also started giving them a vitamin supplement in their water.A cuttle bone is also in there.I feed them various fruits but they don`t seem to touch it.I tried giving pellets but no good results.

Could you reccomend a fertility supplement?

Am I doing anything wrong? I really want to get babies from them before they get too old.

This is driving me crazy!One pair did give me one baby about 4 years ago but I gave him to one of my friends.So I know their not infertile.

They laid one clutch each this season but infertile again.Any suggestions?

 

[onthespot]

do they have access to sunlight? also, how about re-pairing them? switch it up a little, How old are your birds? they may be "too old" if they are of unknown age. sorry you are having troubles. I have only one pair but they knock out two or three clutches a year if I let them. Not all their eggs are fertile, usually about three out of four, and maybe one will die in the first week. I do not interfere with nature and handfeed, and mine just get generic care. They are not pets.

 

[abluechipstock]

are you sure you have a pair? you may need to switch partners, have you seen them breeding at all? i raised birds for awhile, i had the best luck with my sun conures, bourkes and canaries, i had one little cockatiel i raised, he lives with a friend, he talks and whistles

 

[onthespot]

you could also put them in a large cage all together and let them decide who goes with whom.

 

[Chickensrock10110]

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Yes, they do have acess to sunlight.I might consider re-pairing them but the pairs look so cute as they are now.....LOL

I have a whiteface (not charcoal) male that is about 4 to 7 years old(not to sure though since I got him as an adult).He`s paired to a whiteface pied female.Not sure how old she is because I caught her about 4 years ago but never found her rightful owner.

My second pair is a male normal gray (not sure how old ) paired to an Albino female that was born in 2006.

Now that I think about it ,maybe you`re right!My birds could be too old.I`ll try re-pairing them and try one more time!If they are not sucessful ,I`ll retire them from breeding.Thanks for helping!

 

[Chickensrock10110]

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I tried that last year and they just went with their original mate.They are well bonded and I guess I can`t really break true love!

 

[Chickensrock10110]

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I`m pretty sure I have true pairs .One male is a normal and has a bright yellow face and sings alot.Normal gray females have gray faces.His mate is the albino female and she was proven by an 13 year old male albino.I know she`s a female because she lays eggs.My whiteface male has a bright white face and singed alot when he was younger.His mate also lays eggs so I know she`s a female.

When I first put them together a few years ago I had clutches of up to 7 eggs!But now I`m only getting 3 to 4 eggs on my whiteface pair and 4 to 5 with the other pair.

I either have bad luck with cockatiels or I`m doing somthing wrong!
Do you know if their diet sounds OK?

I have canaries and suns now but I have not really put nests in.I`m going to try this year if the cockatiels don`t work with me.I`m just stunned that after a total of about 8 or 9 clutches each for the last few years,I didn`t have one sucessful clutch!I`m basicly discouraged about breeding them anylonger.